TNAG-1117-FCO40-1391-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1982 — Page 131

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CONFIDENTIAL

DSR 11C

have helped to keep Britain prominent in Commonwealth affairs.

[to be acided]

The value of the Commonwealth in Britain

8.

The Commonwealth has played a useful role in the following areas

where Britain has an interest:

(a) Zimbabwe; a Commonwealth monitoring force and a Commonwealth

observer group played an important role in the run up to

Independence;

(b) Uganda; a Commonwealth observer group monitored the elections

of December 1980; and the Commonwealth Secretary-General,

with our encouragement, is putting together a Commonwealth

military training team to go to Uganda;

(c) Belize; the Commonwealth drummed up support for Belize

in the UN, and the Commonwealth Declaration on Belize (though

nearly undermined at the last moment by Canada) gave some

reassurance to the people of Belize in their dispute with

Guatemala;

(d) Gibraltar;

There may be occasions in the future when the Commonwealth will have

a similar role, for example in Ghana, or Tanzania, if problems

were to occur in the Caribbean or the Pacific, or with some of the

remaining Dependencies.

*...*

9. Commonwealth meetings are a mixed blessing. They give us an

opportunity to put across our views to Third World countries in a more

informal and relaxed atmosphere than at the UN (though the informality

of Commonwealth gatherings is less than it was) and to learn something

This helped over Zimbabwe, at the Lusaka CHGM, and

of others' views.

CONFIDENTIAL

/over