CLEARANCE PROCEDURES FROM VISITS TO BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORIES BY
US OFFICIALS OFFICIALS, SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT: MEETING HELD ON 31 MAY
List of those present:
Mr P Penfold, WIAD
Ms S Jump, WIAD
Mr J Dart, Defence Dept
Ms P Walsh, SPD
Mr N Hayes, SEC NS
Mr R Spencer, NAD
1.
Mr H Llewellyn, Legal Advisers
Mr F Holroyd, HKD
Ms V Radley, EAD
Mr P Williams, SED
Squadron Leader Green,
FLS (Air), MOD
The meeting was convened to discuss draft US Clearance
Procedures produced by our Embassy in Washington specifically for
the Caribbean DTS and to assess whether DTS outside the Caribbean
might wish to adopt them. Particularly as a result of joint UK/US
efforts to combat drugs trafficking and money laundering in the
Caribbean, our Dependent Territories in the region recieved a steady
flow of visits by US personnel, ships and aircraft. Close co-operation between US Agencies and our DTS in anti-narcotics operations was vital, and in the past a lack of co-ordination
between the various US agencies had led to problems. Certain
guidelines had therefore been laid down for obtaining prior
clearance to visit our DTS from the Governors and WIAD. Embassy in
Washington had subsequently drawn up draft clearance procedures
which do not introduce new requirements, but which codify procedures clearly so as to clear up any existing confusion with both State
Department and the Department of Defence. The Americans have
welcomed this initiative. Defence Dept who had queried the
'strictness' of the procedures but after explanation they accepted
the draft.
2. It was agreed by all those present that the case for our 5
Caribbean DTS was unique and that, as present arrangements in the
other DT's worked effectively there was no need to disrupt them, nor
impose these draft guidelines on them. It was agreed that the draft
clearance procedures would be cleared by WIAD, Defence Dept and
Legal Advisers, and then forwarded to Washington for further US
clearance/comment.
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