CONFIDENTIAL
DSR 11C
25. It is hard to say how much support there would be
for the ideas at paragraph 24(i) and (ii) above, but there
would probably be at least some support for shorter and
less structured (though perhaps not less frequent)
meetings. The Commonwealth Secretary-General has himself
stressed the need for greater informality at CHGMS,
and at least one new Commonwealth country, Botswana,
thought the communique at Melbourne too long. One or two
of the eleven Heads of Government who stayed away from
Melbourne might have attended had the meeting been shorter.
26.
(i)
The next steps might be to:
examine our bilateral relations with Commonwealth
countries in the light of paragraph 22(i)-(iii) and
(iv)(b);
(ii)
sound out our Missions to the UN about 22 (iv)(a);
(iii) sound out informally governments likely to be
sympathetic to 22(v) and 24(i) and (ii), with
a view to discussing them with the Commonwealth
Secretary-General, and subsequently at the
Commonwealth Senior Officials meeting in late 1982;
(iv) pursue 24(iii) and (iv) as appropriate.
19 February 1982
CONFIDENTIAL