TNAG-1461-FCO40-1987-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-Hong-Kong--Gibraltar-and-1986 — Page 54

CONFIDENTIAL

UK DEPENDENT TERRITORIES (EXCLUDING FALKLAND ISLANDS, GIBRALTAR,

HONG KONG): FUTURE OPTIONS

I. INTRODUCTION

1.

Since the Second World War, HMG's overall policy towards the

Dependent Territories has been in practice if not in theory, to bring them to eventual independence wherever possible, although

there has been no uniform colonial policy adopted towards all the Dependent Territories; policy has been framed on an ad hoc basis

according to local circumstances. By the early 1970's it had become

clear that, for one reason or another, most of the remaining

territories could no longer be expected to follow the "normal" path

to independence since, leaving aside the problem territories like

the Falklands, Gibraltar and Hong Kong, few of them had substantial

populations eager for independence or capable of sustaining it

unaided. UK policy on the future of the Dependent Territories was

consequently reviewed and a major paper on the subject was prepared

in 1973 by the FCO, ODA and MOD. The present paper is designed as a follow up, on a much smaller scale, to this paper (Programme

Analysis and Review, the Future of the Dependent Territories) and

complements the work of Planning Staff on the Future of the remaining Dependent Territories. It discusses all the remaining

British Dependent territories except the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar

and Hong Kong. They are Anguilla; Bermuda; British Antarctic

Territory; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands;

Cayman Islands; Montserrat; Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno; St

Helena; St Helena Dependencies - Ascension and Tristan da Cunha;

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the Turks and Caicos

Islands. UK policy on BIOT, BAT, South Georgia and South Sandwich

Islands has been fully considered recently and Ministers have opted

for maintenance of the status quo for the foreseeable future for

these territories. They are included for the sake of completeness

as well as serving as useful examples of why certain theoretical options considered in this paper are not applicable, (annexes on UK aid to, and constitutional position of, UK dependent territories,

examples of other administering powers and UN considerations are available in Research Department).

CONFIDENTIAL

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