HC Deb 18 March 1953 vol 513 cc4-6W
53. Major Legge-Bourke

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to make a statement regarding British interests in the Buraimi Oasis.

55 and 56. Mr. N. Macpherson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) when and to what extent the boundaries between Saudi Arabia, Muscat and the Trucial Sheikhdoms have been defined;

(2) to make a statement regarding the territorial dispute over the Buraimi Oasis in the Persian Gulf area; and the action taken by Her Majesty's Government in regard to it.

Mr. Eden

The boundaries between Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman and the Trucial Sheikhdoms have never been clearly determined. Her Majesty's Government have been engaged in negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Government over many years. The question of the frontier arose in acute form last summer when a Saudi Arabian official accompanied by armed men, established himself in the Buraimi Oasis.

Buraimi is an oasis comprising eight villages, situated on the borders of the Trucial States and the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. Six of these villages are regarded by Her Majesty's Government as belonging to the ruler of Abu Dhabi, who enjoys their protection, and the other two, by name Hamasa and Buraimi, as being under the authority of the Sultan of Muscat. This view was made plain to the Saudi Arabian Government.

After some weeks of negotiation Her Majesty's Government acting on behalf of the Trucial Sheikhdoms under their protection, and with the authority of the Sultan, agreed to a standstill arrangement. Under the terms of this agreement the parties were to remain in their present positions in the Oasis without being reinforced, pending a resumption of the negotiations regarding the boundaries.

Since there was a wide divergence of view between Her Majesty's Government and the Saudi Arabian Government, Her Majesty's Government proposed in November, 1952, that the matter should be referred to impartial arbitration. The Saudi Arabian Government countered with a proposal that a plebiscite should be held in Buraimi. In view of the presence of the Saudi Arabian official in Buraimi and his activities both before and after the conclusion of the standstill agreement Her Majesty's Government could not accept this proposal, and they renewed their offer to refer to impartial arbitration. The Saudi Arabian Government's reply to the renewed offer is still awaited.