(1271/66) British Political Agency,Abu Dhabi. 12 May, 1966 CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL B108135 I enclose, with reference to your letter 1084 of 4 May,a draft of the letter I would have sent to Shaikh Shakhbutabout his sea-bed boundary with Iran is the row about hissea-bed boundary with Dubai had not blown if he had notgone back on his oral agreement to negotiate with Qatar forthe settlement of his land frontier with that Shaikhdom, and11 he had not demanded arbitration on these two boundaryproblems. I am sure you will agree that if I were to send theenclosed letter at present Shaikh shakhbut almost certainlywould react with a demand for arbitration also on the medianline between Abu Dhabi and Iran. As I understand it, thereis not at present any special urgency in securing ShaikhShakhbut's agreement to the line proposed and I should preferto defer action in this matter until you have decided ournext move in the matters of the Abu Dhabi/Dubai sea-bedboundary and the Abu Dhabi/Qatar land boundary. I wouldsuggest that we should now take a general view towards allthe boundary questions which we have outstanding with, orwhich are likely to come up with, Shakhbut since we areclearly in for a difficult time with him over such questionson which he will, I am sure, continue to demand arbitration.It seems necessary for H.M.G. to decide what attitude theywill take to such demands. Since we have no axe to grind forourselves as far as the actual boundaries themselves areconcerned, it seems to me that we should accept Shalchbut'sdemands for arbitration, on the understanding that such boundarieson which he has already entered into formal agreement withH.1.6. remain the legal boundaries pending the decision ofany arbitration proceedings, Arbitration proceedings wouldalso enable us to deal with the case which shaikh Rashiaof Dubai is preparing for the rectification of his frontierwith Abu Dhabi (and of which shalchbut is still ignorant) andperhaps, if H... were to change its attitude towardsarbitration in this case, enable us to obtain a solution ofthe Abu Dhabi/Saudi Arabia boundary problem. A suggestion ofarbitration on the latter might frighten shakhbut offarbitration generally! I am sending a copy of this letter and enclosure toFrank Brenchley in the Foreign Office. Sep (A.T. Lamb) His Excellency Sir William Luce, G.B.E., K.C.M.G., British Residency, Bahrain. CONFIDENTIAL
