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initiative and in response to requests from

the Committee. This seems a sensible step.

13. There is, however, a point of presentation

with important implications of substance.

Mr Richard states "We should explicitly and

publicly recognise the Committee's role and

ask to be associated with it." The Committee's

mandate is to examine the application of General Assembly Resolution 1514 and make suggestions and recommendations on this implementation. General Assembly Resolution 1514, on which the UK

abstained, is not altogether in harmony with

As

our policies, in particular its emphasis on independence for all and on the non-divisibility

of the territory of states. Furthermore, the Committee has subsequently claimed functions which

would interfere with the responsibilities of the Administering Power, such as the right to lay down a date for independence. In any public statements, therefore, we need to make clear that

we maintain our full responsibility as an Administering Power on deciding how the principle of self-determination should be applied in our

territories. We should, however, recoghise

that the Committee has a potentially useful

part to play in considering

the future of our

smaller dependent territories and express our

wish to co-operate with it.

14.

I recommend that we should agree to Mr Richard's

proposal subject to the point of presentation in

paragraph 13.

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/Participation