TNAG-1117-FCO40-1391-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1982 — Page 171

CONFIDENTIAL

10

DSR 11C

v)

18.

to get at least one British national at senior level in

the Commonwealth Secretariat, eg. (as already envisaged)

to fill the post of Deputy Secretary-General (Economic)

when it falls vacant in 1983.

It is hard to say how much support there would be for

the ideas at (ii) and (iii) 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 communiqué at Melbourne too

long. Some of the eleven Heads of Government who stayed away

from Melbourne might have attended had the Meeting been shorter

19. The next steps might be:

(i) sound out informally

governments likely to be sympathetic to 17 i, ii, and iii,

with a view to discussing them with the Commonwealth Secretary-

General, and subsequently at the Commonwealth Senior officials

Meeting in late 1982; (ii) to pursue 18 iv and v through

the appropriate channels.

3 February 1982