TNAG-1151-FCO40-1431-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-the-United-Nations-1983 — Page 7

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1.

My honourable Friend has done the House a service

in drawing attention to an important Article of the

United Nations Charter and the obligations which it

lays upon the United Kingdom as a country which still

retains responsibility for administering a number of

dependent territories. He has drawn attention to the

various features of Article 73, in particular the

vital importance of the interests of the peoples of

the territories in question.

2. As my honourable Friend has also pointed out the

Article requires administering powers to transmit

regularly to the Secretary-General of the United

Nations information concerning the economic, social

and educational conditions in the territories for which

they are responsible.

3. The British Government bases its administration

of its dependent territories squarely on the relevant

provisions of the United Nations Charter.

The particular

obligations laid upon us by Article 73 are among the

chief of these. But I should like to couple with that

Article the principle of equal rights and self-

determination of peoples, which is to be found in

paragraph 2 of Article 1 of the Charter.

4. It is of course the British Government and the

British Parliament rather than the United Nations

which are responsible for taking decisions about

British dependent territories, and we have from time

to time had to dissociate ourselves from views expressed

/by the United Nations.