BAHRAIN, QATAR AND THE TRUCIAL STATES (DEFENCE OBLIGATIONS)

HC Deb 28 February 1966 vol 725 cc177-8W

56. Mr. Wyatt

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will specify the nature of the treaties and understandings under which obligations exist to defend Bahrain, Qatar, Muscat and Oman, and the Trucial States, respectively, as referred to in Chapter II, paragraph 3, of Part II of the Statement on the Defence Estimates.

Mr. George Thomson

Our defence obligations to Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial States derive from various treaties and agreements dating back as far as 1820, copies of which are to be found in the Library of the House. We have no treaty obligation to defend Muscat and Oman but we have a long history of friendship with the Sultanate and we have on a number of occasions in the past provided assistance when requested to do so in the general interest of peace and stability in this area of the Middle East.