ABSTRACT
Having decided to settle all the Anglo-Ottoman disputes in the Arabian Gulf at the same time rather than on a piecemeal basis, Britain concentrated on the questions of Kuwait, Qatar and the Baghdad Railway project, in which Britain wanted equal partnership with other participating nations. Anglo-Ottoman correspondence and negotiations during the period from 191 1 to the conclusion of the un-ratified convention in 1913, mainly focused on the status of Qatar and Kuwait and the ownership of the island of Zakhnuniyah. All the outstanding questions were resolved, including recognition of the independence of Qatar under Shaikh Jasim and his heirs, through the convention. The withdrawal of the Ottoman forces in 1915, bringing an end to the decades old occupation of al-Bida, was a landmark in the history of modern Qatar. The evacuation paved the way for signing of the Shaikh Abdullah-Cox treaty of 1916 .
