Political relations between Saudi Arabia and UK

This file relates to Anglo-Saudi relations and Buraimi. It contains correspondence concerning:

• Meetings of the former Saudi Arabian Ambassador in London Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, Sir George Rendel and D M H Riches in Switzerland; further correspondence between Hafiz and Amr Pasha (Abdelfattah Amr); and Rendel’s conversations with Amr Pasha (18, 22-23, 29-30)
• Proposed meeting between the Sultan of Muscat and Oman Saeed Bin Taimur and the Ruler of Saudi Arabia King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud including: B A B Burrows’s comments on Azzam Pasha’s (Abdul Rahman Hasan Azzam) views on the meeting; P Dixon’s talks with Harry F Kern and Sam Souki on the meeting and the risk of Nasserism in Saudi Arabia; criticisms of Sidney Cotton’s proposals for the meeting of the Sultan and King Saud in Muscat; and the possibility of a meeting between King Saud and the Ruler of Bahrain Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa (19, 25, 31-32)
• Brief for possible talks with the Saudis in the event of their agreement to talks in Geneva, Rome or Riyadh (20)
• Account of Bahraini officials of the Saudis’ willingness to talk (21)
• Conversations between Rendel and Amr Pasha (24)
• Appraisal of HMG’s attitude towards the Arab world and in particular relations with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with mention of the problem of Israel (26)
• Parliamentary question from Phillip Price to the Foreign Secretary on the possibility of new discussions with Saudi Arabia in light of its new Government (27)
• Discussion between HM Ambassador to Sudan, the Sudanese Foreign Minister, and the Turkish and Saudi Ambassadors to Sudan in Khartoum on the resumption of diplomatic relations between Britain and Saudi Arabia; and news from the Saudi Ambassador that Saudi Arabia wants to renew relations to frustrate the Egyptians (28, 33)
• Discussion of the proposals for HMG’s exchanges with the Saudis arising from the talks in Switzerland and Cotton’s proposals (34)
• Briefs on Anglo-Saudi relations for the NATO meeting (35)
• Exchange of notes via Pakistan between HMG and the Saudi Government on topics including: the activities of the Iraq Petroleum Company, the legitimacy of Cotton as an envoy and the talks in Switzerland; and HMG’s draft reply to the Saudis (36-38, 40-41)
• Vernon Blunt’s account of his visit to the Gulf and Saudi Arabia (39)