SAUDI-OMANI BORDER SETTLEMENT: SAUDI INTEREST IN CORRIDOR TO ARABIAN SEA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000600120004-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: June 19, 1976
• Content Type: CABLE

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Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08001297R000600120004-1
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Department of State TELEGRAM
'PAGE 01 STATE' 143639
to
'ORIGIN NEAw10
INFO OCTP.01 ISO 00 EUR?12 CIAEN00 DODE(.00
3310'
Hi42 L-03 NSAEw00 NSC...05 PA?01 PRS...01 SP..02 SSw1.5
USIA-'06 10.10 OMB-01 SAM.01 SAJw01 ACDA..05 EB.07.
AIDP05 OES003 FEAr01 /NT?05 TRSE..00 /107 R
DRAFTED BY NEA/ARPIFMD/CKMANORW
APPROVED BY NEA:MR.ATHERTON
INR/RNAIMR.JONFS
INR/DDR/RGE1MR.HODGSON
NEAIMR.SOBER
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY JIDDA
'INFO AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
AMEMBASSY DOHA
AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
AMEMBASSY MANAMA
AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
AMEMBASSY SANA
STATE 143639
E110, 11652: GDS
TAGS: PFOR S
092202
SUBJEli- SAUDI..0MANI BORDER-SJTTLEMENTI SAUDI INTEREST
IN ck_talPtio_
REF: JIDDA 4334
111 EMBASSY SHOULD TELL PRINCE SAUD THAT USG DOES NOT FEEL,
IT CAN TAKE ANY OFFICIAL. POSITION ON SAUDI INTEREST IN
HAVING CORRIDOR CUTTING THROUGH DHOFAR AND HADRAMAUT SINCE
sEcRET;
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/1.1/16 : CIA-RDP08001297R000600120004-1
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--- Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08001297R000600120004-1
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Depa.rtment of State roloRAhvi
lECRET
TAGE:12 :STATE i4369
!THIS,ISESSENTIALLY..ATENINSU-LA MATTERa
.AS FRIENDS OF SAUDI ARABIA, 'HOWEVER, FOLLOWING GUEs.
OCCUR 'TO US AS RESULT OF PRINCE 'SAUDIS GOING TO AM.-
isAssADOR? WE THINK SAUDIS MIGHT .HAVE 'THESE :IN MIND AS THEY
,IWEIGH IMPLICATIONS OF WHETHER TO SEEK ILI,OBTAIN 'CORRIDOR.
CP ARABIAN .SEA1
?A, MOULD OMAN BE WILLING TO SURRENDER ANY ,LARGE PORT/QN
;OF WESTERN .0H0FAR, 'FOR WHICH IT .HAS DEVOTED SO MANY RE0.
ISOURCES-TOITS RECOVERY AND :CONTROL, UNLESS POSSIBLY IT' WAS
tA RELATIVELY NARROW STRIP OF IAND SEPARATING OMAN FROM PDRY
;AND'OMAN RECEIVED SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANT VALUE IN RETURN
.(SUCH AS A .SETTLEMENT IN THE NORTH WHERE THE OMANI, 'UAE AND
;SAUDI 'BOUNDARY MEET)?
.B? :COULD TORY BEIEXCLUDED.FROM PICTURE EVEN IF-CORRIDOR/
:CUT",IHROUGH.'OMANIIERRITORY? EVEN IF SAG HAD IN MIND
?IHAT'.C.ORR/DOR WOULD SEPARATE OMAN AND PDRY AND THEREBY ?
;BRING:AN'END TO DHOFAR INSURGENCY, WE DOUBT 'THAT PDRy
iWOULD ACCEPT THIS AND STOP ITS SUPPORT OF INSURGENTS, IN
-kALLLLIKELIHOOD, 'CORRIDOR WOULD SIMPLY 'CREATE .A NEW,INSUR-.
;GENCY SITUATION WHERE SAUDIS WOULD HAVE TO PROTECT HIGHLY'
'VULNERABLE STRIP, OF LAND AND PIPELINE, IF' ONE IS spo,
17140M INFILTRATORS,
:c,. .WOULD A SAUDI'CORR/DOR NOT GIVE PDRY A .GOLDEN OPR
/PORTUNITY TO I/E DOWN SIGNIFICANT SAUDI' MILITARYRESOURCES
%AT MINIMAL 'COST TO PDR-Y? .GIVEN SAUDI ARABIA'S LIMITED
'MILITARY RESOURCES, THESE WOULD PROBABLY BE STRETCHED VERY
'THIN ELSEWHERE IF IT HAD TO SEND SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS TO
'PROTECT CORRIDOR IF ONLY,LiMITED MILITARY FORCE ASSIGNED
"TO PROTECTIVE DUTY, CORRIDOR COULD BECOME AN EASIER AREA
;OF OPERATION FOR.PDRY.aSUPPORTED INSURGENCY THAT IS CASE'lN
IDHOFAR AT-PRESENT'IIMEa
WHAT INTERNATIONALrLEGALTRROBLEMS.MIGHT'DEVELOP?
IT ISAUR UNDERSTANDINGYTHAT PDRY-OMANBOUNDARY HAS NEVER
;SEEN DEMARCATED AND IS SUBJECT D/SPUTE, SHOULD OMAN-
;AGREE TO RELINQUISH. TO SAUDIS A SLICE OF.WESTERN.DHOFAR?
;SAG MIGHT'WELL.FIND ITSELF' WITH ADDITIONAL PROBLEM OF
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'SECRET ? ?
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08001297R000600120004-1
- Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08001297R000600120004-1
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Department of State TELEGR
SECRET
'PAGE 03* STATE 143639
GAINING INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR CORRIDOR BORDER ON
'PORy SIDE, AND IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT To SHOW ANY HISTORIC'
OR ETHNIC SAUDI TIES TO AREA,
E,FINALLY, .IF SAUDI NEED FOR PIPELINE SOUTH TO ARABIAN SEA
IS ECONOMICALLY AND TECHNICALLY FEASIBLE, COULD SAG Nor
EXPLORE POSSIBILITY OF ARRANGEMENT WITH OMAN GOV.T UNDER
WHICH LATTER WOULD NOT BE ASKED To SURRENDER SOVEREIGNTY
10 A CORRIDOR TO THE SEA? HAS SAG THOUGHT OF ARRANGEMENT-
sIMILIAR To THAT IN EFFECT FOR TApLINE?
AFTER PRESENTING THESE QUESTIONS, YOU SHOULD RE.
ITERATE THAT THESE ARE NOTHING MORE THAN QUESTIONS THAT
HAVE OCCURRED TO US AND WHICH WE ARE PASSING ON To PRINCE
SAUD IN AS MUcA AS HE RAISED SUBJECT WITH uS? WE SEE
'THIS ASS?MATTER TO BE DEALT WITH By THE COUNTRIES IN 'THE
AREA, INGERsoLL
SECALT____
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Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/11/16 : CIA-RDP08001297R000600120004-1