TNAG-0714-FCO40-910-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 179

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CONFIDENTIAL

INDEX X-X - RESEARCH DEPTS COMMENTS.

15.12/1

Mr Jasper HONG KONG & GENERAL DEPARTMENT

HKC 025/2

RECEIVED I D

12 JAN 1978

DESK OFFICE..

INDEX

YES

X

REVIEW OF POLICY ON ACCELERATED DECOLONISATION

PA

51

o Taze

你 J.J. Se

Thank you for sending me a copy of your minute of The relevant Regional Director will let you

0-9 January.

have any detailed comments.

2. I hope you will not mind if I express, I hope constructively, dissent from the general thrust of your proposed outline as it emerges from the draft you attached. I assume Mr Dale's research will cover the main point in Mr Cortazzi's remarks ie the question of how devolution measures may have affected HMG's capacity to discharge their international responsibilities with respect to these territories. What is not clear to me is why the proposed review of policy on accelerated decolonisation seems to be in the direction of shrugging off HMG's responsibilities regardless of the welfare of the inhabitants. The determinant of capacity to sustain independence reflected in your draft seems to be entirely economic. Political and defence considerations appear to have been largely ignored (strategic considerations have only been considered in the case of Ascension and St Helena) as is the impact of a new batch of mini states on our UN problems.

3. It seems to me that Ministers conclusions about the overall policy in 1975 (paragraph 2 of your draft), if correctly interpreted, were right and do not need reviewing. What is now required is a determination of

(a)

(b)

(c)

which dependent territories are going to become

independent under our "acceleration" policy soon enough to be disregarded for this purpose. It would still be useful even in these cases to know how far we are at risk.

which dependent territories are going to become

independent some time, but, even under our "acceleration" policy not soon enough for us to neglect the possibility that in the meantime there could be a conflict between devolution measures designed to lead up to independence and the residuary international responsibility of HMG; and

which dependent territories are unlikely to become

independent for a long time or at all and will therefore require a long term devolution policy preserving HMG's capacity to discharge fully and permanently their international obligations.

A paper on these lines would corrolate helpfully with Mr Dale's results and show where and what remedial action is required.

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