TNAG-0715-FCO40-911-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-4 — Page 70

Mr Quantrill,

HK&GD

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference

нка

HKC 025/2

DESK ORG

INDEX

PA

TRY NO. ST

1 4 NOV 1978

REGISTRY

Action Take

No

|24|11

Be

1.

Thank you for your minute of 10 October and the draft despatch. I attach an annex on Belize as requested.

2.

I have the following comments on the draft despatch:

a) Paragraph 2: our responsibility for Belize will not bring us into conflict with other States to the detriment of wider UK interests while we are pursuing a policy acceptable to the Belizeans and the majority of other States in the area as at present. A different policy could involve such risks. I therefore suggest a slight amendment "This is already the case in Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands and could happen in the case of Belize".

I

b) Paragraph 8: The security of Belize after independence is a crucial issue given the military threat from Guatemala. suggest that the despatch should make it clear that the con- tents of this paragraph do not apply to Belize whose problems in this regard are being handled separately.

Daid Tay

D Joy

19 October 1978

Mexico and Caribbean Department

W Clarke

V-These anggestions both seem reasonable enough.

Noted

872570

CODE 18 -77

CONFIDENTIAL

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