TNAG-0715-FCO40-911-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-4 — Page 18

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1.

11.

Federation or association with a regional grouping Where territories are small, weak and/or poor with minimal

prospects of sustaining independence as separate entities, we could work for their admission into a wider (eg federal or regional) grouping of independent states. It is possible

that this process might be assisted by the offer of bilateral

or regional aid, but local insularity, and our own lack of success with federations in the past, suggest that this may not be a practical alternative in many cases.

Association or integration with a third power

The prospects for a solution on these lines will be limited by the reluctance of other friendly powers to assume responsibilities which HMG seek to shed, and/or by

parliamentary or local opposition to the surrender of

territories to potentially oppressive powers, in the absence

of guarantees which HMG might find it impracticable to obtain

or ensure.

iii. United Nations Trusteeship

iv.

V.

This option is unlikely to be acceptable to the UN itself; most UN members would oppose the assumption of the

consequential financial burdens and administrative

responsibilities; if HMG were named the administering authority

our responsibilities would remain in effect unchanged.

Abandonment

This would imply either leaving the inhabitants in situ,

provided that this would involve no threat to their lives,

or sponsoring their evacuation to the UK, or to some other friendly country willing to receive them. This is obviously

a policy of last resort but it may be appropriate, eg in the

case of Pitcairn and Tristan da Cunha.

Associated Statehood with the UK (as in the case of the five West Indies Associated States)

This option enables either the territory or the UK to

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