TNAG-0926-FCO40-1144-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1980 — Page 201

PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

Jespe 6

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

HKG.02571

London SW1A 2AH

RECEIVED

FISTRY NO. 51

05 FEB 1980

T Russell Esq CBE

Governor

CAYMAN ISLANDS

1 February 1980

DESK OFFICER

REGISTRY

INDEX

PA

Action Taken

Jear Tom,

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POLICY TOWARDS THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

1. I enclose a memorandum setting out the basic policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the United Kingdom's remaining dependent overseas territories. It has been approved by the Secretary of State as the basis for guidance to Officers Administering Governments.

2.

For the most part the memorandum restates the broad lines of policy that have been followed by successive Governments since 1945. But it lays down a somewhat tougher Line than has sometimes been adopted in the past about what powers can be delegated to Local governments in territories that opt to remain dependent.

3. The views of those Governors principally concerned were of course taken into account in preparing the memorandum. But it would still help us to know if any of the policy as stated is likely to cause problems in your territory. I should stress that the memorandum does not apply to those "political" territories ie Hong Kong, the Falkland Islands, Belize and Gibraltar - whose relations with a neighbouring foreign power inhibit in any case an 'orderly move

move to independence; to the New Hebrides, which is soon to be independent; to Pitcairn, which with its 60-odd inhabitants will thereafter be our only remaining dependency in the Pacific; or in large measure, because of its advanced stage of self-government and its capacity to attain independence, to Bermuda.

4. At present the memorandum is a United Kingdom classified paper. But we should like to downgrade it so that copies can at least be made available to Local Ministers or Legislatures. There may be advantage in giving it even wider circulation, both in the Dependent Territories themselves and in Britain. I should value your advice about this. Are there any changes which you would like made before the memorandum is more widely disseminated (without prejudice of course to the policy which Ministers have approved). On the face of it, it is a perfectly straightforward statement of policy; and I see no reason why it should not be made generally known. We would of course ensure that, if this were done, the special position of Hong Kong and the other "political" territories was made clear.

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PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL