TNAG-0714-FCO40-910-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 153

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domestic and international embarrassment if, for instance, we should have to use force to maintain law and order".

Or as the paper itself put it rather more succinctly "the Territories continued dependence means that we are liable to take the rap for locally engendered crises". The new paper might then summarise the 1975 policy, stressing in particular our interests

paragraph 9 of the 1975 paper) and then the conclusions (paragraph 19). We should thereafter review what has been done in the two and a half years since the policy was set out. This review will presumably expose the policy of so-called accelerated decolonisation for the myth that it is: indeed the 1975 paper was very vague about what the policy really meant, defining it simply as "to seek wherever possible to relinquish our responsibilities for our remaining Dependent Territories as soon as we can create the necessary conditions to make this practicable in each case". Earlier, the paper had described existing policy as "one of response to initiatives by the Territories themselves" this remains a pretty accurate description of what has happened since.

2.

I hope we will then be able to set out the option of a genuinely accelerated decolonisation policy. This policy will start from the premise that HMG have a psoitive interest in decolonising as fast as possible and that therefore it can be argued that we should be prepared to pay a political price to achieve it. This would involve bringing real pressure (including even economic sanctions) to bear on viable Colonies that are reluctant to go independent, even though we should be criticised in some quarters for doing so. The paper should offer a clear choice between acting thus in our own immediate interest, or continuing as at present to be guided by the wishes of the population. I suspect that, faced with such a choice, Ministers will opt for the latter (and I for one would certainly not criticise them for doing so): but we should not delude ourselves that this is, in any practical sense, "accelerated" decolonisation.

3. The paper might conclude with a recommendation that we should now identify (through the process of the country studies started in 1975) those Territories where independence is never going to be an option, and begin the process outlined by Mr Ivor Richard last May getting them off the UN Committee of 24's books by carrying out an internation acceptable act of self-determination.

8 February 1978

N.E. Chantill

W Quantrill

Hong Kong and General Department K247

233-4381

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