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PS/Mr Rowlands
025/3 Vec Policy file-025/1
J.
CONFIDENTIAL
HKG.025/1
22 Man 11.
No $22/7
WEST INDIAN GOVERNORS' CONFERENCE
Cc:
fur
13/3
12
Mr Que V / 14/3
MCLARE
PS/Mr Tomlinson PS/PUS
Sir A Parsons
Mr McLaren, HKGD
Mr Posnett
Mr Rae)
Mr Fry)
ODM
(all without enclosures)
It was
1. As the Minister will know, I chaired a Conference of West Indian Governors in Barbados at the end of January. attended by the OAGS of Anguilla, Belize, BVI, Caymans, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos and by Messrs Posnett and Duff and the members of the Development Division. I had always intended to report on this as soon as we had an agreed record; but, as this is clearly going to take time with the inadequate bag services I attach the depart- ment's draft together with the Agenda, for which Mr Dale of WIAD had prepared very thorough working papers.
2. I found the Conference enjoyable, stimulating and thoroughly workman-like and I think we all thought the same. It was also a valuable opportunity for the more beleaguered OAGS (Grand Turk, Anguilla, Montserrat) to escape from their isolation and see a real town and proper shops, to compare notes with their colleagues and frequently to discover that many of their problems were common. (Incidentally HKGD are working hard on proposals to enable annual leave to be taken from islands where the local finance committees are unwilling to vote enough funds).
3. John Edwards of the Development Division and several of his senior staff were present throughout and played a key and most helpful part in our discussions as well as providing most efficiently our administrative, secretarial and hospitality tail. We could not have managed without them. But, more significant, their contribution brought home to me the tight interweaving of politics, finance and development in the small islands and reinforced my conviction that while DTs remain in budgetary aid, the joint FCO/ODM departmental system responsible for both politics and aid is the sensible way to handle things.
4. The main item, on which we spent a whole day, was the discussion of our future decolonisation policy for which we had taken out an office draft despatch. This was vigorously debated and pretty ruthlessly re-hashed in a highly constructive way which I doubt could ever have been achieved in correspondence. I know the Minister wishes to be fully in on this exercise, and I attach a copy of the draft as it looks today. It still needs a good deal of tidying up, and HKGD has still to seek clearance within the Office and in particular ODM's views on the passages on aid.
CONFIDENTIAL
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