CONFIDENTIAL
BRITAIN'S INTEREST IN THE COMMONWEALTH
DSR 11C
The Nature of the Commonwealth
1.
Chalong. Alle
The Commonwealth 43 full members, and 3 special members
who pay a smaller contribution to the budget and do not attend
Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings (CHGM). A list of members
is at Annex 1. They include four developed countries, UK, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand. The rest come from the developing world
and range from important countries like India and Nigeria, to small
Pacific and Caribbean islands, and span the political spectrum
from right to far left.
Commonwealth countries contain a quarter
of the world's population. Their governments, though not always their
people, are for the most part Anglophone.
2. Most member countries see clear value in the Commonwealth.
Nearly all former colonies join on Independence.
The last countries
to leave were South Africa in 1961 and Pakistan in 1972, and Pakistan
wants to rejoin. The Commonwealth shows no sign of withering away.
Small countries in particular like to feel wanted.
3. The Commonwealth has no written constitution, though its
members subscribe to the Declaration of Commonwealth Principles
drawn up in 1971 (see Annex 2) and recognise The Queen as Head of the
Commonwealth. This title carries no formal responsibilities, though
the Queen continues to enjoy enormous personal respect and affection.
The Queen remains the Head of State of 16 Commonwealth countries
apart from Britain. The London-based Commonwealth Secretariat
(founded in 1965 and consisting of a staff of about 400) prepares
major Commonwealth meetings and services the main Commonwealth
functional aid programmes. The present Secretary-General, whose
second 5-year term expires in 1985, is Shridath Ramphal from Guyana.
CONFIDENTIAL
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