TNAG-0714-FCO40-910-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1978 — Page 95

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iv) Montserrat

CONFIDENTIAL

5-

DSR 11C

No desire for independence yet but substantial economic

and consular aid may help.

v) Turks and Caicos Islands

ExCo have indicated that they want ISG only but recently the local Ministers threatened to disrupt the administra- tion when we insisted on proper legal safeguards before allowing the Casino to go ahead. Would they consider more financial aid sufficient inducement to go for independence? Or should we face them with the same choice that we have proposed for Bermuda?

'Accelerated' Decolonisation

6.

Apart from being a useful tactical weapon in the UN, the 1975 'acceleration' has not so far resulted in any specific instances of quicker decolonisation. The Seychelles, which became independent in 1976 did so in due course. The Pacific Territories are moving towards independence at the usual leisurely pace as are the WIAS (with the exception of Anguilla) On the other hand so much authority has been devolved within other individual Colonies not actually on their way to independence that Governors now have to rely on persuasion in order to fulfil their responsibilities even in essential matters such as internal security. Our authority will continue to erode as Territories succeed in taking over more powers but refuse to become fully independent. This is most unsatisfact- ory, as recent events in Bemruda and the Turks and Caicos have shown. There must be a fresh initiative to encourage reluctant Colonies to make definite and faster moves towards independence before we agree to devolve further powers to local governments.

Future Policy

7. If we were to continue at the present pace of decolonisa- tion most of the WIAS and the Pacific Territories with the exception of New Hebrides and Pitcairn would be independent by 1980 but the five Caribbean Territories would not have made any progress at all towards independence in the foreseeable future and certainly not within the time-scale of five years suggested by Mr Callaghan in 1975. We should, therefore, adopt a policy of positive encouragement to those DTs which, in our view, are capable of achieving and sustaining independence and work out a possible time-scale within which the plan would have to be carried out.

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/Important