CONFIDINTIAL
EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENT FUND
50. Mr Graham Kelly, the EEC delegate in Barbados, outlined the procedures for handling EDF projects as they affected dependencies. The EDF preferred bricks and mortar projects, particularly those which would help to create wealth and employment and to fulfil social nced. Technical co-operation was available for studies but not experts. Joint projects with another donor were favoured. There were unlikely to be problems. of tying with items costing less than 200,000 ua. If the West India Committee wished to play a formal part in EDF activity it should become registered in Brussels as a consultant.
LAW OF THE SFA
51. Mr Stanley explained the current position. Except in Anguilla and Belize (for their own special reasons) OAGS could tell their Governments that their fishing limits could be extended to 200 miles. There was no deadline for this and nothing to be lost by delay. The FCO must be consulted before any announcement was made. Government should recognise that there was no possibility of RN ships being available to police increased areas. Where national areas overlapped there would have to be agreement on boundaries. Local discussions on how best to demarcate these would be useful but formal agreements could only be made between the metropolitan countries.
CONCLUSIONS
52. Looking back at the issues posed at the start of the Conference (paragraph 1) Mr Stanley thought that they might be answered as follows:
a) Yes, but it would need a strong political lead from London. Ministers might be invited to launch a public campaign of psychological and practical pressure on the islanders to accept independence. There might be a policy statement in Parliament and perhaps also at the United Nations to the effect that HMG was determined to end the anachronism of colonialism. A Conference to be attended by all the island dependencies might be called to decide the method for each individual island. Wise economic planning of investment and a tough line on budgetary aid would be needed. Association with neighbouring islands was obviously desirable and should be fostered as far as possible. However, it should be recognised that regionalism was unlikely to flourish at least until after independence.
b) There were no special measures which would speed this process and civil services should remain under the direct control of Governors. Expatriate supervision of finance should not be weakened, certainly while countries remained in budgetary aid. Small instalments of constitutional advance towards internal self government should be resisted.
c) No, but there was no practical alternative to the improvement of local security forces.
d) We should shift our development aid increasingly from infrastructure (except for tourism where this was a key revenue earner) to projects where these could be identified which would provide employment and earn revenue. The Development Division
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