CONFIDENTIAL
AS NORMALLY UNDERSTOOD DECOLONISATION HAS CONSISTED OF THE
WITHDRAWAL OF AN ALIEN ADMINISTERING POWER AND THE TRANSITION
OF NEW STATES TO INDEPENDENCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FREELY
EXPRESSED WISHES OF THEIR PEOPLES, TO WHOM
659 - 1
SOVEREIGNTY AND THE POWERS OF GOVERNMENT ARE TRANSFERRED.
WE HAVE ALWAYS GIVEN PARAMOUNT CY, AS NOTED IN PARAGRAPH 2
ABOVE, TO THE WISHES OF THE INHABITANTS OF BRITISH DEPENDENCIES
INCLUDING THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. FOR ARGENTINA TO INCORPORATE
THE FALKLAND ISLANDS IN ITS TERRITORY ON THE PRETEXT OF
DECOLONISATION WOULD SIMPLY CONSTITUTE THE IMPOSITION OF
COLONIAL STATUS ON THE ISLANDS BY FORCE IN VIOLATION OF
ALL UN AGREED NORMS OF CONDUCT IN THE FIELD OF DECOLONISATION
AND RELATIONS BETWEEN STATES. IT WOULD OFFEND THE PRINCIPAL
OF SELF-DETERMINATION.
7. IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RECALL THAT THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY
OF DECOLONISATION WE HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED THE PROPOSAL THAT
SELF-DETERMINATION AND DECOLONISATION LEADS AUTOMATICALLY
TO INDEPENDENCE. THE STATUS OF A TERRITORY AFTER ANY ACT
OF SELF DETERMINATION IS PRIMARILY A MATTER FOR THE PEOPLE
OF THE TERRITORY ITSELF TO DECIDE.
BACKGROUND
8. SUCCESSIVE GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS ON THE FALKLAND
ISLANDS, ADOPTED IN 1965, 1973 AND 1976, ARE PRO-ARGENTINE
IN GENERAL TENOR BUT STOP SHORT OF ENDORSING THE ARGENTINE
CLAIM TO SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE ISLANDS. EQUALLY THEY STOP
SHORT OF ENDORSING SELF-DETERMINATION FOR THE ISLANDERS,
THE ARGENTINE THESIS BEING THAT PARAGRAPH 6 OF GENERAL
ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 1514 APPLIES (SEE PARAGRAPH 4(D) ABOVE).
BUT SUCCESSIVE DECLARATIONS BY THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM)
HAVE BY CONTRAST, STRONGLY SUPPORTED ARGENTINA'S CASE ON
SOVEREIGNTY AND MAKE NO REFERENCE TO THE ISLANDERS' RIGHTS
TO SELF-DETERMINATION. ARGENTINA CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE NEAR
FUTURE TO SEEK A FORMAL REITERATION OF THE NAM POSITION ON THE
FALKLAND ISLANDS IN THE COURSE OF WHICH THEY WILL HAVE TO ARGUE
AGAINST THE NOTION THAT THE ISLANDERS ENJOY THIS UNIVERSALLY
RECOGNISED RIGHT. THEY CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED TO TRY TO PRESENT
4
CONFIDENTIAL
/THE ISSUE
A