9.
specifically to visit the Gulf, Singapore and Australasia.
The approximate additional annual cost would be £0.5M.
b. Forces could be withdrawn from Mauritius by 1976.
Minimum support for residual Indian Ocean tasks could
be provided by transferring the necessary UK facilities
and manpower to Diego Garcia. Air staging and DCN
aspects are discussed later.
Oman
a. The aim of reducing our involvement in Oman as
much and as soon as possible represents no change in
current policy. As long as it is considered politically
necessary to give military assistance to the Sultan of
Oman in his war against the Dhofar rebels, there is
no scope for major reductions. However, the FCO now
advise that we should terminate our military assistance
by 1980 at the latest, but the intelligence and
re-broadcasting facilities at Masirah would still remain
an important political requirement. Although in
order to retain these facilities at Masirah our present
Agreement with the Sultan obliges the UK to operave
Salalah airfield as well as to provide training'
assistance, the FCO believe these obligations could
be renegotiated. In these circumstances the forces
and costs involved would be:-
- 7 -
SECRET UK EYES A