TNAG-0429-FCO40-494-Programme-Analysis-and-Review-(PAR)-Future-of-Dependent-Terr-1974 — Page 39

CONFIDENTIAL

make unilateral, decisions concerning these which could

impinge upon their internal affairs,

4. We shall shortly be consulting the rest of the

Commonwealth about their position within it. It seems to

us sensible that they should be given every facility in

accordance with their new status. For example it seems

clearly appropriate that the States should in principle

be eligible in their own right for membership of those

Commonwealth organisations, and to attend meetings, which

deal with subjects for which their governments are

responsible. On the other hand, we do not think it would

be appropriate for the ir Premiers to come to the Common-

wealth Prime Ministers' meetings. We hope that the rest

of the Commonwealth will agree with us.

Additional

5. In the United Nations, the Committee of 24 has been

discussing the new arrangements. There has been strong

criticism that Associated Status does not represent true

decolonisation, and has taken place against local wishes

and for the convenience of the British Government.

interest has been stimulated by the last-minute protests of

the Opposition Party in Grenada (concerned essentially with

internal politics) and by the emergence of genuine problems

in St. Kitts and St. Vincent. We may at the end of the day

be faced with a condemnatory resolution passed by the

Committee, although every effort is being made to avoid such

We may also be faced with a demand for some

form of U.N. "yerification" of the acceptability of the new

arrangements to the people of the States, for example by

holding referenda under U.N. supervision or by the despatch

of U.N. Visiting Missions. We know that anything of this

kind would be totally unacceptable to the State Governments

and we must clearly reject any such demands.

an outcome.

-2-

CONFIDENTIAL

16.