1
CONFIDENTIAL
DSR 11C
5. The past four years have seen a new emphasis on regional
There have been two meetings
co-operation in the Commonwealth.
(1978 and 1980) of Heads of Government of the Asia-Pacific region.
In the Caribbean Caricom already exists; and an organisation of
Eastern Caribbean States has recently been set up. In Africa
Foreign Ministers from Commonwealth countries met last year in
the margins of an Organisation of African Unity (OAU) meeting.
Britain's position in the Commonwealth
6.
The character of the Commonwealth has changed greatly over
the past 20 years or so. Its membership has increased, and the
system of Commonwealth trade preferences, which knit its members
together in economic self-interest, has been dismantled, mainly
as a result of British
accession to the European Communities.
it
:
1.
Changes in British nationality law (see Annex ) and in immigration
policy have reduced considerably the privileges formerly accorded
to Commonwealth citizens. Partly as a consequence of these changes
and partly as a result of deliberate policy on our part, Britain,
though remaining an important member of the Commonwealth, no longer
dominates its activities. This has been an inevitable transition.
The growth in the number of developing country Commonwealth members,
most of them members of the UN and many influenced by the rhetoric of the
Non-Aligned Movement, would have made it hard for us to have remained
at the centre of the Commonwealth, dominating its policies, even had we
wanted to.
7. But some members still see us as having a special position
in, and obligation towards, the Commonwealth and urge us to take a
more active part in its activities. The reasons for this include
historical associations, the Queen's position as Head of the
Commonwealth and the location of the Commonwealth Secrrtariat in
London.
Moreover, two important recent issues, Zimbabwe and Belize,
CONFIDENTIAL