TNAG-0832-FCO40-1040-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1979 — Page 149

Registry

No.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

Xrp sectet.

SIENXXX

Confidential and

Rod. Personal

Unclassified

XXXXXX

PRIVACY MARKING

In Confidence

CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL

DRAFT DESPATCH

Type 1 +

From

To:-

All Governors of Dependent

Territories

Telephone No. Ext.

Department

HKGD K247

DSR 11

the assumption

that that territory may revert to the status of a dependency (a status it already enjoys de facto when it separated

from

St Kitts and Nevis

later this year.

POLICY TOWARDS DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

2.

1. In his despatch HX2/1 of 13 June 1975, Mr James Callaghan set out our policy towards the future of our remaining dependent territories, following a review by ODM and FCO Ministers. That despatch ended by saying that separate studies would be undertaken to determine what the policy meant in each individual territory. I now attach as Annexes to this despatch analyses of the prospects for each remaining dependent territory, with the exception of Hong Kong (which has been excluded from this review because of its special political and economic circumstances). The West Indien Associatal State, have also been expended, with the exception of Anguilla ong

Our guiding principle in determining the future of our dependent territories continues to be that the wishes of the people in the territories should be paramount. We shall encourage and in every way assist towards independence those

it territories where this is feasible and in accordance with the clearly expressed wish of the majority of the population, but shall not force independence on those territories which do not want it. The acceptance of this principle is not without cost to the UK. As long as we retain any dependent

umsl territories, we shall be accepting a politieal risk – the risk that responsibility for the affairs of the dependent territories will bring us into conflict with other states to the detriment of wider UK interests. Belize, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands are the obvious examples of territories

has already happened where this could happen, but the risk exists wherever we retain responsibility for a territory's defence and external relations. There are other costs as well : for example our responsibility for internal security could lead to pur having

there

b

છે

CONFIDENTIAL AND PERSONAL

Ato