Qatar Petroleum Company Ltd: relations with ruler of Qatar

This file concerns relations between the Ruler of Qatar Sheikh Ali Bin Abdulla Al Thani and the Qatar Petroleum Company Limited (QPC). It contains correspondence on:

• Annual oil production plans of 6.2 million tons for 1956 and 8 million tons for 1957, estimated by QPC and Abdulla Darwish Fakhroo
• Desire of the Sheikh Ali for his oil revenue payments to be increased from 10 million rupees to 14 million rupees per quarter with HMG raising no objection
• Ruler’s effort to obtain back-payments for 1953, and QPC’s objections
• Agreement of accounts for 1955 between QPC and the Qatar Government
• Complications in the QPC’s funding of the Technical School and the rest house in Bahrain
• Comment by N M P Reilly on the need to plan for when oil runs out in a report to B A B Burrows
• Prospect of transit of oil from the Haradh area of Saudi Arabia via Qatar by the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO)

This file also contains correspondence on:

• Difficulties relating to the demarcation of Qatar’s border with both Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi
• Withdrawal of Shell from its second hole in Halul
• Refusal by the Ruler to permit a formal convention granting oil rights to Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited
• Termination of Abdulla Darwish's appointment as the Ruler's Representative for oil affairs and the temporary appointment of Sheikh Ahmad Bin Ali Al Thani
• HMG's advice on the ‘moral responsibility’ falling to QPC following Darwish's sacking not to take advantage of the Qatar Government