Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899

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The Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899 was a secret treaty signed between the British Empire and the Sheikhdom of Kuwait on 23 January 1899. Under its provisions Britain pledged to protect the territorial integrity of Kuwait in return for restricting the access of foreign powers to the Sheikhdom and regulating its internal affairs.

Background

The

Ha'il were also part of the alliance. The Resident denied those allegations.[1]

Fearing that Sabah's two sons might seek revenge, Mubarak requested the Ottomans to grant him the title of

Basra Vilayet refused, instead proposing the annexation of Kuwait to his superiors. At a critical moment Hamdi Pasha was replaced with Mohsin Pasha, whom Mubarak managed to win over with bribes. At a time when British influence in Kuwait was seemingly at its nadir Mubarak approached the British consul at Basra with an appeal for British protection. The British initially appeared reluctant as such a move would have most probably resulted in a conflict of interest with other great powers such as France and Russia. The situation changed when Russian entrepreneur Vladimir Kapnist laid out his plan to erect a railway connecting the Mediterranean port of Tripoli with Kuwait. Seeing this plan as detrimental to their interests in Mesopotamia, the British returned to the negotiating table.[2]

Treaty

On 23 January 1899, Mubarak and British representative Meade signed the secret Anglo–Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899. Under its terms the Sheikh and his successors agreed not to receive foreign agents or representatives while also barring them from selling, leasing, mortgaging or ceding any portion of the territory under his control to a foreign government or citizen without prior British consent. In return the British were to grant the Kuwaiti Sheikh the sum of 1,000

pounds sterling on an annual basis, furthermore Britain pledged to protect the territorial integrity of Kuwait against external threats.[1]

Aftermath

The 1899 treaty was followed by a number of minor agreements that cemented Britain's role in the country, including the management of its pearling and oil resources. In the following years Britain thwarted several Ottoman attempts to reestablish their control over Kuwait both through diplomatic and military endeavors. In 1904, captain S.G. Knox was appointed as the first British Resident in Kuwait. The status of the aforementioned treaties was later confirmed with the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kuwait: Anglo-Ottoman Relations 1890-1914" (PDF). Shodhganga Thesis Repository. 1994. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  2. ^ "'File 53/6 (D 2) Koweit [Kuwait] Affairs, 1898-1899'". Qatar Digital Library. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
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