CONFIDENTIAL
Qu Cory by Cayman Constitutional Development the JiJzili
·
CAYMAN ISLANDS: THE UN VISITING MISSION
1. A Mission appointed by the Committee of 24 spent 4 days in the Caymans in April. Their preliminary outline report recognizes the Islanders' determination to remain a Crown Colony and makes a number of recommendations in the fields of natural resources, manpower training and social development.
2. Mr Stanley led in discussions with the Mission in the FCO this week of their impressions. These were frank and relaxed. The Mission were clearly bewildered and looked to us for a lead on what to say on constitutional development.
3. They fully recognised that Caymanians generally did not seek constitutional advance. They appreciated HMG's problem: if this territory (or any other) was not willing to pursue the traditional path to independence, what should its ultimate con- stitutional destination be? Although stressing the need for a "new relationship" between HMG and CIG the Mission were unable to identify the form this should take. An indefinite period of internal self-government may be recommended, although the Mission equally saw the case for some limited "recolonisation". They said that their recommendations would not be too specific and would acknowledge the impossibility of major constitutional change in the near future.
4.
The Mission were concerned at the vulnerability of the economy and stressed the need to diversify. We agreed but ex- plained our limited powers of intervention, largely because we contributed so little from the aid programme to the island's development. Although they accept that the Caymans' high GNP gives them low priority within ODM's aid strategy they may well criticise us for intending to cut off capital aid in 1980. It was agreed that educational development (and reliance on ex- patriate teachers in particular) were primarily problems of resource allocation which the Caymans themselves must solve.
5. We do not expect much favourable comment from the report (except on UK aid, perhaps). The Mission recognised both CIG and HMG's awareness of existing problems, IMMG's limited ability to intervene and CIG's reluctance to alter the status quo.
W
West Indian and Atlantic Department
May 1977
CONFIDENTIAL
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