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resources to the dependent territories from tasks of more vital concern, and of course our being tarred with the colonialist brush will always be a drawback in the UN and
other international fora.
3.
None the less, it must be repeated that our policy is not to seek to rid ourselves of colonial responsibility against the wishes or best interests of the people in the territories concerned. We shall continue to do all we can
whenever possible to create the conditions in which
independence becomes feasible; and in territories where independence can never be an option, we shall always be prepared to consider possible alternatives such as those listed in paragraph 11 of the Annex to the 1975 Desptach. But we accept that for several territories the continuance of the present relationship of dependency is likely to be what makes most sense as well as being what the population want, and we shall not be deterred from agreeing to this by the fact that the relationship carries certain disadvantages
for Britain.
4. Such a policy has implications for both sides, and it should be understood that where a territory prefers to remain dependent, there can be no question of its proceeding to the stage of full internal self-government that normally precedes independence. Where it is understood by both sides that there is no prospect of independence in the foreseeable future, the British Govenment will need to reatin powers
to..
The people in the territories concerned may also find them- selves having to accept uppalatable decisions determined more by British political considerations than by what they for example, one by what they would see as their own interests [Capital punishment i likely to provide a clear exemple of this. We for our part will accept the obligations implicit in our retaining responsibility for the territories concerned, including the obligation to defend their interests internationally.
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