Sykes-Picot Agreement
15 & 16 May, 1916:
1. Sir Edward Grey to Paul Cambon, 15 May 1916
I shall have the honour to reply fully in a further note to your Excellency's note of the 9th instant,
relative to the creation of an Arab State, but I should meanwhile be grateful if your Excellency
could assure me that in those regions which, under the conditions recorded in that
communication, become entirely French, or in which French interests are recognised as
predominant, any existing British concessions, rights of navigation or development, and the
rights and privileges of any British religious, scholastic, or medical institutions will be
maintained.
His Majesty's Government are, of course, ready to give a reciprocal
assurance in regard to the British area.
2. Sir Edward Grey to Paul Cambon, 16 May 1916
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's note of the 9th instant, stating
that the French Government accept the limits of a future Arab State, or Confederation of States,
and of those parts of Syria where French interests predominate, together with certain conditions
attached thereto, such as they result from recent discussions in London and Petrograd on the
subject.
I have the honour to inform your Excellency in reply that the acceptance of the whole project, as
it now stands, will involve the abdication of considerable British interests, but, since His
Majesty's Government recognise the advantage to the general cause of the Allies entailed in
producing a more favourable internal political situation in Turkey, they are ready to accept the
arrangement now arrived at, provided that the co-operation of the Arabs is secured, and that the
Arabs fulfil the conditions and obtain the towns of Homs, Hama, Damascus, and Aleppo.
It is accordingly understood between the French and British Governments---
1. That France and Great Britain are prepared to recognize and protect an independent Arab State
or a Confederation of Arab States in the areas (A) and (B) marked on the annexed map, under the
suzerainty of an Arab chief. That in area (A) France, and in area (B) Great Britain, shall have
priority of right of enterprise and local loans. That in area (A) France, and in area (B) Great
Britain, shall alone supply advisers or foreign functionaries at the request of the Arab State or
Confederation of Arab States.
2. That in the blue area France, and in the red area Great Britain, shall be allowed to establish
such direct or indirect administration or control as they desire and as they may think fit to
arrange with the Arab State or Confederation of Arab States. 3. That in the brown area there shall
be established an international administration, the form of which is to be decided upon after
consultation with Russia, and subsequently in consultation with the other Allies, and the
representatives of the Shereef of Mecca.
4. That Great Britain be accorded (1) the ports of Haifa and Acre, (2) guarantee of a given supply
of water from the Tigris and Euphrates in area (A) for area (B). His Majesty's Government, on
their part, undertake that they will at no time enter into negotiations for the cession of Cyprus to
any third Power without the previous consent of the French Government.
5. That Alexandretta shall be a free port as regards the trade of the British Empire, and that there
shall be no discrimination in port charges or facilities as regards British shipping and British
goods; that there shall be freedom of transit for British goods through Alexandretta and by
railway through the blue area, whether those goods are intended for or originate in the red area,
or (B) area, or area (A); and there shall be no discrimination, direct or indirect against British
goods on any railway or against British goods or ships at any port serving the areas mentioned.
That Haifa shall be a free port as regards the trade of France, her dominions and protectorates,
and there shall be no discrimination in port charges or facilities as regards French shipping and
French goods. There shall be freedom of transit for French goods through Haifa and by the
British railway through the brown area, whether those goods are intended for or originate in the
blue area, area (A), or area (B), and there shall be no discrimination, direct or indirect, against
French goods on any railway, or against French goods or ships at any port serving the areas
mentioned.
6. That in area (A) the Baghdad Railway shall not be extended southwards beyond Mosul, and in
area (B) northwards beyond Samarra, until a railway connecting Baghdad with Aleppo via the
Euphrates Valley has been completed, and then only with the concurrence of the two
Governments.
7. That Great Britain has the right to build, administer, and be sole owner of a railway connecting
Haifa with area (B), and shall have a perpetual right to transport troops along such a line at all
times.
It is to be understood by both Governments that this railway is to facilitate the connexion of
Baghdad with Haifa by rail, and it is further understood that, if the engineering difficulties and
expense entailed by keeping this connecting line in the brown area only make the project
unfeasible, that the French Government shall be prepared to consider that the line in question
may also traverse the polygon Banias-Keis Marib-Salkhab Tell Otsda-Mesmie before reaching
area (B).
8. For a period of twenty years the existing Turkish customs tariff shall remain in force
throughout the whole of the blue and red areas, as well as in areas (A) and (B), and no increase in
the rates of duty or conversion from ad valorem to specific rates shall be made except by
agreement between the two Powers.
There shall be no interior customs barriers between any of the above-mentioned areas. The
customs duties leviable on goods destined for the interior shall be collected at the port of entry
and handed over to the administration of the area of destination.
9. It shall be agreed that the French Government will at no time enter into any negotiations for
the cession of their rights and will not cede such rights in the blue area to any third Power, except
the Arab State or Confederation of Arab States without the previous agreement of His Majesty's
Government, who, on their part, will give a similar undertaking to the French Government
regarding the red area.
10. The British and French Governments, as the protectors of the Arab State, shall agree that
they will not themselves acquire and will not consent to a third Power acquiring territorial
possessions in the Arabian peninsula, nor consent to a third Power installing a naval base either
on the east coast, or on the islands, of the Red Sea. This, however, shall not prevent such
adjustment of the Aden frontier as may be necessary in consequence of recent Turkish
aggression.
11. The negotiations with the Arabs as to the boundaries of the Arab State or Confederation of
Arab States shall be continued through the same channel as heretofore on behalf of the two
Powers.
12. It is agreed that measures to control the importation of arms into the Arab territories will be
considered by the two Governments.
I have further the honour to state that, in order to make the agreement complete, His Majesty's
Government are proposing to the Russian Government to exchange notes analogous to those
exchanged by the latter and your Excellency's Government on the 26th April last. Copies of
these notes will be communicated to your Excellency as soon as exchanged.
I would also venture to remind your Excellency that the conclusion of the present agreement
raises, for practical consideration, the question of the claims of Italy to a share in any partition or
rearrangement of Turkey in Asia, as formulated in article 9 of the agreement of the 26th April,
1915, between Italy and the Allies.
His Majesty's Government further consider that the Japanese Government should be informed of
the arrangement now concluded.