sa'ūdis could not accept any arguments based upon the Anglo
Turkish Convention of 1913. What was needed was a full andfriendly discussion upon a non-political and non-legalistiobasis, by experts who knew the area well with due regard totribal grazing grounds, the terrain, traditions, taxation, etc.If that procedure failed, the matter could go to arbitration.Fuad Bey Hamza did not, however, give any indication of theextent of King Ibn Sa'ūd's latest claims. Nor did the sa'ūdiGovernment, in its written reply, dated 18 June, 1949(1), makeany statement as to the extent of its claims. On the otherhand, the Sa'ūdi Government did, in this reply, express regretat the incident concerning Mr. Stobart, the British Political
ble
pier
Officer, and proposed that the negotiations concerning thefrontier should be held at Jiddah.The Sa'udi Territorial Claims, as set out in the writtenstatement dated 4 October, 1949
In the event, the negotiations began in Riyādh on30 August, 1949. The Sa'ūdi Government began by declining toformulate their actual claims, and by trying to insist upon a
is
tal
discussion of tribal areas. Pressed to say precisely whatareas it now claimed for Sa'ūdi Arabia, the Sa'ūdi Governmentultimately formulated, in a written statement, dated 4 October,1949%), claims of an extreme nature. In this statement theSa'udi Government dealt with the Qatar, as well as with theAbu Dhabi frontier. As to the former, which is outside thearea under discussion in this paper, it is enough to say thatthe Sa'ūdi claim would have taken from the Ruler of Qatar a broadwedge of the Qatar peninsula, some 15 miles in width. As tothe Abu Dhabi frontier, a glance at Map B will show at oncewhat a vast expansion the sa'üdi claim underwent between
/1935
(1) See Foreign Office Papers, E8082/1502/25.(2) See Ibid., E13024/1081/25.
