MASTER'S THESIS M-1108 ALEM, Fehmi THE QUESTION OF OMAN IN THE UNITED NATIONS. The American University, M Jl., 1967 P olitical Science, international law and relations University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright hy FEHMI ALEM 1968 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE QUESTION OF OMAN IN THE UNITED NATIONS by Fehmi Alem Submitted to the Faculty of the School of International Service of The American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Signatures of Committee: Chairman : Date: Dean of the School Date: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY July, 1966 The American University M A R 1 7 196? Washington, D. C. 5 yc,Q Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT THE QUESTION OF OMAN IN THE UNITED NATIONS "b y Fehmi Alem Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT The question of Omein was first introduced to the United Nations Security Council in 1957. In the past five years, it has been included in the Agenda of the General Assembly for discussion during its annual regular sessions. It is now considered a question related to colonialism eind, therefore, was placed before the committee concerned with the liquida­ tion of colonialism and trust territories. The issue centers around the claim by the Imam of Oman of the independence of Central Oman, and the counter­ claim by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman that the territory in question forms an integral part of his Sultanate® Both sides support their respective claims with historical, legal, and political arguments; hence, the conflict has arisen as regards the interpretation of historical and legal data. This paper does not attempt to discuss the substance of the issue as much as it does the role of the United Nations in similar questions. Reference to the historical and legal aspects of the question sets the background for the attitude of different members of the United Nations, including those involved either directly or indirectly in the conflict® Finally, the role of the United Nations is analyzed in the light of the actual composition of the Organization Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 and its division into block which influence by their votes the direction of the issues before the United Nations and set the pace for its action on questions such as those re­ lated to colonialism. The fact-finding mission which visited Oman in 1963 is an illustration of the type of action that could be undertaken by the World Organization on this type of issues. Discussion of this action is confined, in fact, to that mission and the way it carried out its mandate. It is this analysis, rather than a definite conclu­ sion regarding the issue, that forms the main postulate of the paper. Such analysis explains the role that the United Nations has and will play in questions similar to that of Oman. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PREFACE The question of Oman is one of the problems still pending in the United Nations® It was first submitted to the Security Council in 1957; subsequently, it moved to the Special Political Committee, then to the Fourth Committee, known as the Trusteeship Committee, which was concerned with matters of trusteeship territories and non-self-governing territories® The longer the debate extends in the committee and the plenary meetings, the deeper the confusion goes con­ cerning the question® Questions such as self-determination, independence, domestic jurisdiction, interference in internal affairs of a country, human rights and the obligation of the United Nations to insure them— all these were invoked by the par­ ties concerned during the debate without, nevertheless, bringing to light any ambiguity generated by the discussions® The United Nations has seen many problems brought to its forum either for decision, arbitration, or merely for sounding an opinion, attitude, or position® Many of them did not lack complexity® The many aspects of the Omani problem, however, seem to pose a problem not only to the members of the General Assembly but also to the concerned staff in the Secretariat. The fact is that the question has not only political aspects. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ill but also historical and legal ones as well— the presentation of which threw the listeners into^ such a state of confusion that many of them requested a clearer, more neutral and ob­ jective presentation of the issue. The cry for objectivity was at the basis of inviting the Secretary General to send his representative to gather on-the-spot information and data capable of ending the con­ fusion and clarifying the issue for the confused listener. He did so at the invitation of the Sultan. The report of the Secretary General had a limited effect. But one could say that it established the first and only direct contact with the Omani people in their own land; the limitation of the mission was due more to lack of time, shortage of staff, and limited terras of reference than to the capacity to report, as pointed out by many delegates for whom the mission was a disappointment. Dissatisfied with the report, the Arab States, backed by a comfortable Afro-Asian, anti-colonial majority, prompted the Assembly to establish another committee (the Ad Hoc Committee) whose work was slanted to emphasise the case of the Rebels. Subsequently, another committee of twenty-four was established but was denied entry into Oman. The question posed is the following: Can committees be the answer to the problem? Certainly not, for Oman, as found later, is only one part of the British presence in the Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. iv Arabian Peninsula. Its issue is first and foremost politi­ cal. One can construct and build many a study and thesis on some of the legal aspects, such as the Treaty of Sib— whether it is a mere internal arrangement between the elements of one country, or an international treaty, as contended by some, because a foreign power signed it. Such aspects of the question will never be a decisive element in the issue. The same applies to the historical aspects. One look at the Palestine problem provides the clue as to the decisiveness of historical ”truths” as support for a cause. It is the opinion of this writer, therefore, that the question will become only the object of voluminous material on historical, legal, and political aspects. The answer remains in the magic of politics. Should the Arab States and Great Britain choose, for one reason or another, to be­ come friends and thus liquidate all sources of friction, the question of Oman will become a dormant one if not solved. Such an assumption is presented only to point out that politics is the key to solve this kind of problem. It is not likely that the Arab States will drop the issue of colo­ nialism, especially when it can be used at varying degrees as a lever in international hot dialogues. Having been a member of the mission of the Secretary General's Special Representative which visited Muscat and Oman in May and June of 1963, this writer had the opportunity Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V and advantage of being one of only three persons from an international organization ever to be allowed to enter the territory of Oman. Therefore, many of these remarks are of first-hand experience, whether through personal interviews, observation, or access to material on the spot. He consulted the few works existing on the subject, but he depended mainly on United Nations documents, in the belief that they represent a more accurate source of information, as it is within the framework of this Organization that the problem is discussed. The writer does not claim that this paper is a conclusive study of the problem; however, it sheds some light on many aspects which until now have been overlooked by those who dealt with it. It is the hope of this writer, therefore, that this work will represent a small contribution and will constitute a small addition to the material already existing about the subject. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE oome.oe.o.ü CHAPTER X e BACKGROUND .....a*.... 1 II. THE QUESTION IN THE UNITED NATIONS............ 9 III. POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES CONCERNED ....... 16 Arguments of the Arab States ......... 16 Position of the United Kingdom ........ 23 Position of Some Members of the United Nations 27 IV. THE MISSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS TO OMAN AND MUSCAT ...a....... ....... 29 Establishment of the Mission ......... 31 Itinerary of the Mission ........... 32 Outline of the Mission ............ 33 Investigations of the Mission ........ 35 Fighting in Oman .............. 35 Incidents and Sabotage ........... 36 Rebels ............0.....0 39 Foreign Troops ............... 39 The Oppression ............... 42 Control of the Area by the Sultan ..... 43 The Population and the Imeim .......... 45 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vil CHAPTER PAGE Status of the Imamate, and the Significance of the Treaty (or Agreement) of Sib . 46 Relations between the United Kingdom and the Sultanate ................ 52 Efforts towards Negotiations ........ 54 Development Progrsims ............ 55 V . SUMMARY .................... 57 VI. SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENTS ............ 60 BIBLI OGR^^P HY ..................... 71 APPENDIX I. Explanatory Memorandum Attached to the Letter dated 29 September 1960 from Ten Arab States, addressed to the Secretary General .....