TNAG-1117-FCO40-1391-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1982 — Page 138

CONFIDENTIAL

DSR 11C

25. It is hard to say how much support there would be

for the ideas at paragraph 24(i) and (ii) above, but there

would probably be at least some support for shorter and

less structured (though perhaps not less frequent)

meetings. The Commonwealth Secretary-General has himself

stressed the need for greater informality at CHGMS,

and at least one new Commonwealth country, Botswana,

thought the communique at Melbourne too long. One or two

of the eleven Heads of Government who stayed away from

Melbourne might have attended had the meeting been shorter.

26.

(i)

The next steps might be to:

examine our bilateral relations with Commonwealth

countries in the light of paragraph 22(i)-(iii) and

(iv)(b);

(ii)

sound out our Missions to the UN about 22 (iv)(a);

(iii) sound out informally governments likely to be

sympathetic to 22(v) and 24(i) and (ii), with

a view to discussing them with the Commonwealth

Secretary-General, and subsequently at the

Commonwealth Senior Officials meeting in late 1982;

(iv) pursue 24(iii) and (iv) as appropriate.

19 February 1982

CONFIDENTIAL