22/10/5
PS/Mr Rid
Ridley
Soufle
31
Yxi
p.a.
Minister
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(146
M. Quantrill, HKJES.
لات
1
SEMINAR ON THE FUTURE OF THE BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES: 24-26 SEPTEMBER
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1. I attach a summary of the discussions during the five working sessions of the seminar held at the Institute of Development Studies from 24-26 September.
2. In general, as the Minister will be aware from the part of the seminar that he attended, the discussions were fairly diffuse and at times cloudy; and it is not easy to draw conclusions. But three significant points did emerge:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
there was a strong belief, shared by virtually all (I myself have serious reservations) the participants, that we should be actively seeking to divest ourselves of our remaining colonies and not just leaving it for them to decide whether or not they want to become independent;
there was much concern about the effect on the Caribbean region of the creation of a large number of independent micro-States; this was a particular preoccupation of those with direct connections with the region, such as Dr Grant and Lord Pitt, who both came back again and again to the need for regional consultation and cooperation;
there was a general suspicion that we were too hide-bound in our attitudes towards small territories; that we tended to see their problems as no more than scaled-down versions of the problems of the bigger territories that we had already brought to independence; and therefore that we sought solutions which, though they might have worked with the bigger territories, were inappropriate to the ones we are now left with.
3. The first of these points raises the question of whether we should now change the policy that has been followed by successive British Governments since 1945 of respecting the wishes of those territories that want to remain as dependencies. Hong Kong and General Department are at present preparing a draft memorandum on policy towards the Dependent Territories for submission to Ministers. As at present drafted, the memorandum reiterates the standard formula that, while we can offer assistance and encouragement to territories wishing to become independent, we do not force indep- endence on territories that do not want it. While I do not think there can be any question of forcing independence on anybody, Ministers may wish to consider adding a gloss to the existing policy to make it clear that, while not applying direct pressure,
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