COPY CONFIDENTIAL British Consulate, Muscat. 58/9/55 March 21, 1955. Dhofar-Oman Boundary Please refer to your unnumbered letter of March 10. I spoke as desired to the Sultan about the possibility of defining precisely the limit on the Dhofar side of I.P.C's concession area. The Sultan regrets that he is still unable to be as precise as the Company would like. 3. He does however confirm that from the point 20°N X 55° E the line runs through al Buwairid, exclusive to I.P.C., to Tarfa, inclusive to I.P.C. 4 Thence he expects the line to run straight to Ras Minji but until he has been able to examine the tribal ownership of the various Wadis he cannot guarantee that there will be no adjustments to either side of the line. In no case, however, would the line go back past the original line given to the Company, namely, 20° N X 55° E. to Ras Sharbatat. Since the Sultan has fefinitely limited Cities Service to the line 20°N X 55°E to Ras Shuwaimiya, the Sultan has no objection to I.P.C. surveying up to the straight line 20°N X 55°E to Ras Minji or even up to Ras Shuwaimiya: but it must be clearly understood that they would not be able to carry out any test drill or similar work beyond the Tarfa-Sharbatat line without first getting clearance from the Sultan, if he has not by then been able to indicate to them the exact boundary line from Tarfa to Ras Minji. 6. The Su tan regrets that he cannot go further than this at present, but, if Your Excellency wishes, he has no objection to our informing the Company as stated above. sa/- F.C.L. Chauncy. His Excellency Mr. B.A.B. Burrows, C.M.G., Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, BAHRAIN.
