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statehood was in any case envisaged only as a transitional stage
between dependence and full statehood, and with most of the
Associated States already independent or on their way to becoming
so, the experiment has clearly justified itself. But it has also
shown the risks we run in accepting responsibility without power.
This was most clearly shown in the recent case of the company based
in one of the Associated States that was apparently engaged in
selling arms to South Africa in breach of the UN embargo.
Although
Fortunately there
we were responsible for the state's external relations, and thus
answerable to the UN, we found that our power to intervene in what
was happening within the state was very limited.
have not been many such cases, but the danger of serious embarrass-
ment, not to mention actual harm to our international interests, has
always been there, and we should not expose ourselves to the same
risks again.
I hope that these remarks will have suggested some
questions that we might profitably consider tomorrow.
I do not want
to anticipate the fuller debate, but if there are any immediate
questions, particularly if they relate to existing policies rather
than policies that we might adopt, I should be glad to try and
answer them.