CODE 18-77
Mrs Blake-Pauley Planning Staff
W 12A
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC 025/1
нка
2 EJAR WAY
ド
сп
BRITAIN'S INTEREST IN THE COMMONWEALTH ------
1.
2.
PHKGD)
Your minute of 15 January to Miss Brett-Rooks (HKD) refers.
South American Department may have a problem with the future of the Falkland Islands, but there is basically no problem about what to do with the various dependencies in WIAD's parish. HMG's policy is quite clear the territories whose populations show a clear wish to proceed to independence will be steered towards that goal: those that do not may remain as dependent territories. I cannot see how the Commonwealth could or should play any rôle in deciding this. However, should one of the dependencies develop into an international political problem - à la Belize - I then it is conceivable that the Commonwealth might be able to play a rôle in drumming up regional support for the territory. But on present indications this possibility is sufficiently remote that it would scarcely be worth mentioning in this paper.
3. As to comment on other aspects of the draft paper, I think the references to regionalism could be expanded (para 5, 18(i)) to point to examples of practical co-operation rather than odd meetings or discussions, eg:-
།
In the Caribbean, Commonwealth countries form regional groupings in various permutations without a Commonwealth tag. Examples are the Organisation of East Caribbean States, CARICOM, and the Caribbean Development Bank, where all the regional members are Commonwealth countries.
22 January 1982
cc:
HKOD
SEAD
SPD
SED
MWAHope
M_LH Hope
West Indian and Atlantic Department G122/3
Mr. Mr. Qeyard
233 4180
CONFIDENTIAL