CAB148-30-Defence and Oversea Policy Committee Meetings Relating to 1967 Disturbances-1967 — Page 189

SOUTH ARABIA

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The Committee had before them a memorandum by the Foreign Secretary (OPD(67) 45) on additional measures that might be taken in South Arabia

before and after her independence.

THE FOREIGN SECRETARY said that his memorandum set out in detail a

series of proposals based on recommendations made by the new

thest

High Commissioner to South Arabia; then followed closely recommen- dations made earlier by the Minister without Portfolio (Lord Shackleton)

on his return from his recent stay there. There were three main groups

of recommendations: the first group was directed to strengthening the Federal South Arabian forces and to providing some advisory and

specialist assistance to them; the second was for assistance to the Hadhrani Bedouin Legion (HBL) in the unfederated Eastern sden Protectorate states (EAP); and the third comprised a number of related

measures in respect of internal security, some to enable terrorism to be

more effectively combated, others to encourage political reconciliation

with nationalist groups where possible. The proposals should be

looked at as a whole. Their first objective was to improve the

present situation in the Federation while we remained there, main-

taining security and confidence so as to enable us to withdraw our forces in good order in January 1968 as planned; their second

objective was to enable us to leave behind a stable Government of an independent South Arabia. The cost of the proposed measures might

amount to some $10 million spread over three years, over and above

expenditure already approved of £50 million over the same period.

The additional cost would be justified if it had the intended effect

of averting the breakdown of the Federation, of which there was a grave

risk at present. On the particular recommendations, those involving

military equipment would need further detailed examination of their

practicability. The recommendations relating to internal security

could not be isolated one from another, but must be considered as

a whole. There would be criticism of the proposal to suspend trial by

jury for terrorist offences: but juries were so subject to intimi-

dation in South Arabia at present that they were of no value and

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