TNAG-0597-FCO40-744-Future-of-Dependent-Territories-territorial-studies-1977 — Page 77

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FUTURE OF THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

SUMMARY OF A CONVERSATION IN THE TANZANIAN MISSION ON 17 SEPTEMBER BETWEEN AMBASSADOR SALIM, CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE OF 24 AND MR LARMOUR

Also Present: Miss Nuru (Tanzanian Mission)

Mr Dalton (UKMIS)

1976

1. Mr Larmour explained the stage we had reached in decolonising our remaining territories. He said that we were getting down to a "hard core" with difficult problems, many of which would never be able to support independence. Having given details of the present situation in the West Indies Associated States, he said that it was

by no means certain that the people of the WIAS would vote for independence in a referendum. There were difficulties for us in

the status quo but a number of the Premiers in the WIAS and other

dependent territories were quite content to leave matters where they now stood. The Committee of 24 for its part had been helpful and had shown understanding of the problems in the smaller terri- tories in general. He asked Mr Salim if there was any advice he would like to give us on how they might be handled in the Committer

of 24 in the future.

2. Mr Salim said that the Committee of 24 should not tell the

people of the smaller territories what their ultimate status shoul

be but should work to ascertain what their wishes were. He had

thought for a number of years that a visiting mission should be

sent to the Associated States to confirm that their present status was indeed the popular wish. Mr Larmour said that we had perhaps not been keen enough on this idea and that for their part the

Premiers of the Associated States had resisted UN involvement in

their affairs. Mr Dalton added that we had given the idea some thought earlier in the year but given the lack of clarity about the direction in which the different Associated States would be

moving it had not seemed propitious to take it much further.

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