TNAG-1117-FCO40-1391-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1982 — Page 118

CONFIDENTIAL

AS NORMALLY UNDERSTOOD DECOLONISATION HAS CONSISTED OF THE

WITHDRAWAL OF AN ALIEN ADMINISTERING POWER AND THE TRANSITION

OF NEW STATES TO INDEPENDENCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FREELY

EXPRESSED WISHES OF THEIR PEOPLES, TO WHOM

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SOVEREIGNTY AND THE POWERS OF GOVERNMENT ARE TRANSFERRED.

WE HAVE ALWAYS GIVEN PARAMOUNT CY, AS NOTED IN PARAGRAPH 2

ABOVE, TO THE WISHES OF THE INHABITANTS OF BRITISH DEPENDENCIES

INCLUDING THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. FOR ARGENTINA TO INCORPORATE

THE FALKLAND ISLANDS IN ITS TERRITORY ON THE PRETEXT OF

DECOLONISATION WOULD SIMPLY CONSTITUTE THE IMPOSITION OF

COLONIAL STATUS ON THE ISLANDS BY FORCE IN VIOLATION OF

ALL UN AGREED NORMS OF CONDUCT IN THE FIELD OF DECOLONISATION

AND RELATIONS BETWEEN STATES. IT WOULD OFFEND THE PRINCIPAL

OF SELF-DETERMINATION.

7. IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RECALL THAT THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY

OF DECOLONISATION WE HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED THE PROPOSAL THAT

SELF-DETERMINATION AND DECOLONISATION LEADS AUTOMATICALLY

TO INDEPENDENCE. THE STATUS OF A TERRITORY AFTER ANY ACT

OF SELF DETERMINATION IS PRIMARILY A MATTER FOR THE PEOPLE

OF THE TERRITORY ITSELF TO DECIDE.

BACKGROUND

8. SUCCESSIVE GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS ON THE FALKLAND

ISLANDS, ADOPTED IN 1965, 1973 AND 1976, ARE PRO-ARGENTINE

IN GENERAL TENOR BUT STOP SHORT OF ENDORSING THE ARGENTINE

CLAIM TO SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE ISLANDS. EQUALLY THEY STOP

SHORT OF ENDORSING SELF-DETERMINATION FOR THE ISLANDERS,

THE ARGENTINE THESIS BEING THAT PARAGRAPH 6 OF GENERAL

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 1514 APPLIES (SEE PARAGRAPH 4(D) ABOVE).

BUT SUCCESSIVE DECLARATIONS BY THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM)

HAVE BY CONTRAST, STRONGLY SUPPORTED ARGENTINA'S CASE ON

SOVEREIGNTY AND MAKE NO REFERENCE TO THE ISLANDERS' RIGHTS

TO SELF-DETERMINATION. ARGENTINA CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE NEAR

FUTURE TO SEEK A FORMAL REITERATION OF THE NAM POSITION ON THE

FALKLAND ISLANDS IN THE COURSE OF WHICH THEY WILL HAVE TO ARGUE

AGAINST THE NOTION THAT THE ISLANDERS ENJOY THIS UNIVERSALLY

RECOGNISED RIGHT. THEY CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED TO TRY TO PRESENT

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CONFIDENTIAL

/THE ISSUE

A