Twenty-fifth Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference
11
Barbados had extended its territorial waters from 3 to 12 miles, said a delegate from that country, and it subscribed to the view that the sea was jointly owned by the peoples of the orld and its resources should be shared fairly. Problems arising had to be solved by mpromise at the international level. Another aspect of security was that all Caribbean countries were militarily weak and externally vulnerable. They knew the dangers were there, and the Caribbean had been described as one of the world's worst trouble spots. Its people did not want any great power to dominate or interfere, nor did they want a cold, much less a hot, war. All they wanted was to pursue their own destiny in peace.
Commonwealth countries were no longer completely as one, but, through being equal and independent, were less strong as individuals and only strong if working together, said a United Kindgom delegate. The need to work together had never been greater. The United Kingdom could not defend itself alone but was putting its main strength into NATO as well as helping friends in other parts of the world as much as possible. It had to honour its direct and indirect defence obligations as well as contribute to United Nations peacekeeping forces. He disagreed with the suggestion that the United Kingdom should withdraw from the European Economic Community; the best hope for peace and economic strength in Europe lay in developing this bond.
The unity of the inhabitants of a country was the best safeguard against aggression, said a delegate from Trinidad and Tobago. Many Caribbean governments endangered their internal security by failing to unite their own citizens. Half the people of Trinidad and Tobago were of African descent and the other half of Indian descent. Their Government exploited this difference for its own political ends. It was encouraged in doing so by the irrelevant Westminster political system, inherited from the United Kingdom. In his opinion such a system was totally unsuited to a highly pluralistic society such as existed in Trinadad and Tobago. He noted that no other Caribbean country had condemned this racism in Trinidad and Tobago or this racism in Guyana. It seemed to him that racism was only objectionable when it was white racism against black; when it was black racism against others, people closed their eyes.
The security of a small or a large nation depended largely on its constitutional makeup, a Western Samoa delegate said. In his part of the South Pacific there had never been a military coup or a gun fired in anger. Differences would be settled, not by using firearms, but at a round-table conference.
The leader of the Cyprus delegation said that the sense of security enjoyed by any small Commonwealth country in colonial times had vanished. Cyprus had a troubled history because it was strategically located. The bitterness and disillusionment of its people caused by the Turkish invasion and conquest did not originate from an anti-British feeling, but he appealed for help to re-establish Cyprus as a truly independent country. The people of Cyprus, who had fought beside Great Britain in two world wars, had a special right to ask for this help.
Vietnamese imperialism, with the impetus of strong assistance from the Soviet Union, was the threat to the security of Commonwealth States and others in South-east Asia, said a Singapore delegate. Commonwealth and other States should take concrete action to stop the Vietnamese from further pursuit of imperialism. Their policies should demand that Vietnamese troops withdraw from Kampuchea.
A plea for support for Gibraltar in enabling it to survive as a country in the free world was made by a Gibraltar delegate. Its security was in jeopardy because of continuous attempts by Spain to swallow it. The people of Gibraltar wanted to remain what they were. It was difficult to understand why the new Spanish Administration should want to perpetuate the present shameful position of separating peoples and families. If Spain claimed to be a Western democracy it had to act and behave as one.
In supporting the plea of the delegate from Gibraltar, a delegate from The Gambia said no country should be denied its freedom and inalienable rights. Smaller Commonwealth countries should not be abandoned, and he felt that the United Kingdom had greater responsibility for their security, although its association with Europe was also vital for them. He asked what security arrangements were being contemplated by the Commonwealth, not