Seperate Copies to
each
Budo Now.
Miss Stoddart, WIAD
Mr Nason, PTD Mr Fullerton, SED
Mr Sindall, SAmD
Mr Joy, M & CD
Mr Rosling, EAD
о
CONFIDENTIAL
олько
Reference
POLICY TOWARDS DEPENDENT TERRITORIES
HKG 025/2
RECEIVED REGISTRY BO. ST 13 OCT 1978
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
Yes
PA
24/11
REGISTRY
Action Taken
&
See (86)
69
66
* copy attached, for ease of reference.
1. As agreed at the meeting of certain heads of dependent territories departments chaired by Mr Stratton on 31 August, HKGD have now started to prepare a first draft of a new despatch on our policy towards our remaining dependent territories, up- dating Mr Callaghan's Despatch of 13 June 1975. I should be. grateful for your comments, and for advice on filling the gaps in the attached cock-shy.
2. In particular, I should be grateful for help in compiling the Annex, which I suggest should consist of a country by country survey of each territory, setting out the prospects for independence in each case and the obstacles to be overcome, the possibilities of alternative solutions to independence or continued dependency in the present form, and recommendations for the policy to be adop- ted in each territory. To illustrate what I have in mind, I have ventured to draft such a survey for the British Virgin Islands, based on Mr Duff's minute of 28 Septem and the Governor's Despatch of 26 April (under the heading "Special Factors", where there is nothing to say in the case of the BVI, I intend to include, where appropriate any points which might lead to a modification of our normal policy for example the fact that we derive positive benefit from retaining St Helena and Ascension Islands because of their communications value).
ご
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3. Unless you see any objections to proceeding in this way, I should be grateful if similar surveys could be drafted for the following territories:
Belîze
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands 3,
Falkland Islands and dependencies Gibraltar
Gilbert Islands
Montserrat 4
New Hebrides ? Pitcairn
St Helena and 5
dependencies Turks and Caicos 6
I have not included British Antartic Territory and British Indian Ocean Territory in this list, since it seems to me that there is no need to say any more about them, than that, with no permanent population, there can be no question of independence for them. I shall be grateful if Mr Rosling and Mr Sindall can confirm that they are content with this; or if not, if they can draft the approp- riate surveys.
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4. I should be grateful if Miss Stoddart could advise whether the West Indian Associated States should be included; my own inclination is that they should be, in which case a separate survey will pres- umably be needed for Anguilla as well.
CODE 18-77
CONFIDENTIAL
15.