CONFIDENTIAL
August 1981
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THE RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION
1. The United Kingdom Government respect the wishes of the peoples
of our remaining Dependent Territories to determine their own future
in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter. We give every
encouragement and support to those Territories which seek independence,
but we do not force it on those which, for reasons of their own, do
not seek it.
2.
Despite this policy, we may still be criticised for the fact that
we have not yet given independence to all our former colonies. Those
who make this criticism tend to assume that, because the Territories
remain dependent, they have not been allowed to exercise their right
of self-determination. This is a fallacy. Self-determination does
not always lead to independence.
3. In our Dependent Territories we endeavour to find out, through the
normal democratic process, what the majority of the population believe
to be the most appropriate way for their Territory to develop.
The pace
of constitutional advance must be in line with what the people want,
rather than with any artificial framework imposed by Britain as the
administering power. Once the majority of the population of a Dependent
Territory indicates, by means of a general election or a referendum,
that they wish to move to independence, we help them achieve this in as
rapid and orderly a manner as possible.
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CONFIDENTIAL
TUENTIAL