:
CONFIDENTIAL
(D)
MEANWHILE, THE SULTAN BELIEVES IT WOULD BE INCONSISTENT WITH HIS OVERRIDING DUTY TO HIS SUBJECTS TO SIGN A TREATY OF
INDEPENDENCE OF IMMEDIATE EFFECT WHICH LEFT A NUMBER OF CRUCIAL
MATTERS UNCERTAIN.
3. THE SULTAN'S MESSAGE ALSO TOUCHES ON OUR RECENT POLICY OVER THE PROVISION OF LOAN SERVICE PERSONNEL. THIS HAS BORNE,
INTER ALIA, ON BAC EFFORT TO POCKET A £50 MILLION RAPIER SALE HERE, WHICH, IF THE GURKHAS REMAIN AND LOAN SERVICE PERSONNEL ARE SURE, SHOULD BE IN THE BAG. (ACCORDING TO COLONEL ROBERTS, THE GURKHAS ENTER THE EQUATION SINCE IF THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE, BRUNEI MIGHT HAVE TO ALLOCATE TO A THIRD BATTALION RESOURCES EARMARKED FOR AN ARTILLERY/MISSILE UNIT.) BAC REPRESENTATIVES HAVE RECENTLY BEEN OUT HERE AGAIN PRESSING HARD ON RAPIER.
4. IT IS UPHILL WORK, AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF DRAWING OUT THE PRELIMINARY STAGE ARE OBVIOUS. EVEN SO, AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE PAST I THINK AN ELEMENT OF PROGRESS MAY HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED. THE SULTAN'S LETTER SPECIFICALLY RELATES THE PRELIMINARY TALKS TO THE ''PASSAGE TO INDEPENDENCE”'.
DAVIDSON
FILES
SEAD
PS/LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS
PS/PUS
MR CORTAZZI
MR MURRAY
-2- CONFIDENTIAL