TNAG-0832-FCO40-1040-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1979 — Page 121

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

PREGOTIAL AND CONFIDAITIAL

2.

independence but positively wish to encourage it, the "not have" category is limited to the claimed colonies, our policy must obviously be to go on negotiating vitá The claimant for a settlement which will allow independence Bolize) or something else definable as self-determina bion

g Kong, Gibraltar, the Falklands). This would leave ith the "don't want" category and it would be iuberest in onlyse the reasons why and how these could be sumodal ale

Very familiar reason is economic viability:

you know

puer to that dowries. Another, as you recognise in

etter, is external defence - there might be the Lanings of an aasver to that in the Barbados initializ oh, as far as I know, we would not at this stage be illing to make an open-ended commitment for a British contribution. External affairs should be less of a problea For the colony and for us: it would be worth contiming

no encourage ble Commonwealth Secretariat to provide a

service, in the absence of any other arrangements, which presumably mean pushing through some change in its bent of reference. Supposing a way could be found past all the a forogoing constraints, we might be left with only a sand aidue (e.g. St Helena) which still could not cope on their om For the foreseeable future. The choice for these would

sremembly be between continued dependency, which would hold open the possibility of independence in the ultimate future, of integration (outlying parish of Hampshire) which would

e permanent; and would predicate a local authority not a Jinisterial, colonial constitution.

I vell realise why you cannot go tramping the whole Length of that road just yet. But I thought it would be fun to produce this very summary scenario for another lespatch, or series of despatches, after you and I have left the scene.

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

Your

Itan

ever

II S II Stanley

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