TNAG-1461-FCO40-1987-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-Hong-Kong--Gibraltar-and-1986 — Page 106

24

CONFIDENTIAL

(h)

(i)

other powers in the region (particularly the Canadians and selected independent Caribbean states) should subsequently

be approached;

in Whitehall a coordinating committee should be established

probably located in the Cabinet Office.

38 If these conclusions are not accepted there will be little

alternative but to persist with dependence. It is possible that some (perhaps particularly Bermuda) will press for independence

even without our encouragement. But the risk is that sooner or later the measures described in Section VI (and possibly military

measures too) will be found to be necessary anyway, for example

to avert a repetition elsewhere of the problems encountered in

the TCI, but that the delay in their implementation will have

made transition to independence more difficult.

ΧΙ

39

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION

We recommend:

a)

b)

c)

a)

e)

that the Governors of the Caribbean dependencies and

Bermuda, and the Development Division, be invited to

comment on the conclusions of the paper and in

particular to make recommendations on the measures

(economic and political) needed to bring about

independence in their territories.

that this paper and their comments should be discussed

further at the Governors conference in January 1987

under the chairmanship of Lady Young.

that the Embassy in Washington be invited to comment on

likely US reactions.

that in the light of these comments, a programme of

action in each dependency is drawn up and costed.

that subject to these findings the conclusions outlined at para 37 are recommended to Ministers in other interested Whitehall departments.

CONFIDENTIAL