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TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 1077 OF 14/1Ø REPEATED FOR INFORMATIONIMMEDIATE TO BAHRAIN RESIDENCY, CAIRO, TEHRAN, DUBAT, JEDDAKUWAIT, WASHINGTON, UKMIS NEWYORK AND BEIRUT.MY LETTER 4/1 OF 2 OCTOBER TO PARSONS:
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TRAQ AND THE ISLANDS.
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1. I WAS SUMMONED AT LUNCHTIME YESTERDAY BY FOREIGN UNDERSECRETARY JAMALI. HE SAID HIS GOVERNMENT WAS DISTURBEDBY INTERNATIONAL PRESS REPORTS (ONE OF THEM IN FIGARO)AND ALSO DIPLOMATIC REPORTS THAT BRITAIN ''HAD DECIDED TOHAND-OVER TO TRAN'' ISLANDS BELONGING TO RAS AL KHAIMAH.IF THIS WERE TRUE, HE SAID, IRAQ'S LIFE-LINE AMONGST OTHERTHINGS WOULD BE JEOPARD ISED, AND BRITAIN'S RELATIONS WITHIRAQ (AND ALL OTHER ARABS) WHICH IRAQ FOR HER PART WASANXIOUS TO IMPROVE, WOULD SUFFER SEVERELY. COULD |THEREFORE TELL HIM THE FACTS? HAD WE CHANGED OUR PREVIOUSATTITUDE TO ARAB SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE ISLANDS, DESPITE THEASSURANCE WHICH YOU (HE SAID) HAD GIVEN RIAD DURING YOURRECENT VISIT TO CATRO? HAD WE DECIDED TO ''HAND-OVER!!THE ISLANDS?
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2. JUDGING IT BETTER ON THIS OCCASION NOT TO PROFESS TOTALIGNORANCE OR SAY THAT I WOULD REPORT HIS ENQUIRY TO YOU(THEREBY ENCOURAGING THEM TO PESTER US FOR A FORMAL ANSWER),I SPOKE AS FOLLOWS:
(A) IN VIEW OF THE INTEREST HIS GOVERNMENT WAS NOW SHOWING,IT WAS A PITY THEY HAD DECLINED TO RECEIVE YOUR PERSONALEMISSARY TO DISCUSS GULF PROBLEMS IN MAY.
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(B) I HAD NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT MY GOVERNMENT'SASSESSMENT OF THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE ON OWNERSHIP OF THEISLANDS HAD CHANGED; ANY MORE THAN HAD THAT OF THE IRANIANGOVERNMENT. BUT LIKE MANY OTHER PROBLEMS IN THIS IMPERFECTWORLD THIS ONE COULD EVIDENTLY NOT BE SOLVED SIMPLY BY REFERENCETO LEGALITIES OR BY RESORT TO JUDICIAL PROCESS. NOR (SINCEHE HAD DEFINED IRAQ'S ATTITUDE AS ''THE ISLANDS BELONG TORAS AL KHAIMAH AND ABU MUSA FULL STOP'!) COULD IT BE SOLVEDBY PUNCTUATION.
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