STAFF-IN-CONFIDENCE
RESTRICTED
HKA 431 | 13
RECESY A
MY RO, 51
ommissioner
Her Majesty 1981
ANGUILLA
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
TRY
17ake"
13 January 1981
BBR TER 1113
R D Clift Esq
Hong Kong & General Dept
FCO
SEE
3
Dear Dick,
ANGUILLA: FUTURE STAFFING IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES
1. Thank you for your letter of 30 December, the substance of which we will be discussing at the Caribbean OAGS' Conference next week. In the meantime, however, I would like to pick up a point of detail.
2. In the paragraph on Anguilla in Annex A of your paper no reference is made to the Constitutional position of Anguilla. fact the Constitution provides for a full Ministerial system of Government with HM Commissioner (Governor) retaining the usual reserved powers etc. In short Anguilla is roughly on all-fours with the British Virgin Islands.
In
3. I feel obliged to make this point because it seems there is considerable confusion both within the office and within Posts in this region as to the role of HM Commissioner. Since 1976 Anguilla has had a comparatively advanced dependency-style Constitution superimposed upon an Associated State background. The position of HM Commissioner, therefore, is analogous to that of a Governor and not as some seem to think, merely an arm of the British Government Representative in Barbados.
Your
evu
Charle
CH Godden
lb
STAFF-IN-CONFIDENCE
RESTRICTED
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