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(Previous Reference: OPD (67) 11th Meeting, Item 1)
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (LORD CHALFONT) recalled
that the Cabinet had agreed that we should offer to the Federal Government
of South Arabia independence on 1st November with six months protective air
support thereafter from carrier-based forces. The proposal had been put
to the Federal Government by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Thomson) on 18th March, but they had insisted on being given further
time to consider it. The main objection of the Federal Rulers was to the
earlier date of independence, since they said that their forces would not
be sufficiently trained to take over responsibility for internal security
by then. They also objected that the time limit on our air support would
constitute an invitation to aggression thereafter, and to a lesser extent
they took exception to the absence of any land based forces.
They felt
that they were being asked to give a hurried decision on the eve of the
arrival in Aden of the United Nations Mission, and stated that they wished
to discuss the date of independence with the Mission and subsequently with
us. They asked us not to announce our proposals; the United Kingdom Representative at the United Nations (Lord Caradon) had given the same
advice, on the grounds that offence might be caused to the United Nations
Mission if we announced the proposed date of inedpendence before their
arrival. Some publicity had, however, occurred in Aden as a result of a
leakage of information on the Federal Government side. In the light of the
Federal Government's position and the advice of Lord Caradon, the statement
which the Foreign Secretary had intended to make to the House of Commons had
been deferred, and in the debate on 20th March Government spokesmen had described Mr. Thomson's visit as a further stage in the discussions with the
Federal Government which had begun in London. Reference had also been made in the debate to the failure of the President of the United Arab Republic, President Nasser, to respond to the overtures made to him but no mention was made of the proposed discussions with the Adeni nationalist leader Al Asnag. A further debate after the Easter recess was envisaged. Discussions with the Federal Government would be resumed after the end of the visit to
South Arabia by the United Nations Mission.
THE FOREIGN SECRETARY said that he had just come from discussions with
the United Nations Mission earlier that afternoon in London. His impression was that the Mission would favour an earlier rather than a later date for
independence. They were also likely, when they visited Cairo on their way to Aden, to try to persuade President Nasser and the South Arabian
nationalists to make a public appeal to call off terrorism.
The Mission
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