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SOUTH ARABIA
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SECRETage 87 of 350
(Previous Reference: OPD(66) 47th Meeting, Item 2)
The Committee considered a memorandum by the Foreign Secretary (OPD(67) 18) and a note by the Secretaries (OPD(67) 19) covering a report by officials on the problems involved in preparing for the independence
of South Arabia.
THE FOREIGN SECRETARY said that there was growing public concern
about the situation in South Arabia. After consultations with the
United Kingdom High Commissioner and with the South Arabian Federal
Ministers he had formed the view that fresh measures were required if
we were to hold the Federal Government together until we had completed
most of our military withdrawal and reached the point of independence.
Our main objective was to withdraw our troops, their families and their
equipment in good order; we also aimed to keep the existing Government
in South Arabia functioning effectively until they could be replaced legally by something better and to leave behind a stable and viable Government on independence, preferably covering the whole of South Arabia.
It was clear that Federal Ministers believed that the previous
Administration in the United Kingdom had given them to understand that
the independence of South Arabia would be linked with a Defence Agreement with us. We had however decided to grant independence on 1st January 1968
without such a Defence Agreement, although we had not yet announced the
date of independence. The Federal Ministers wished to assert their
control of security in Aden before our forces left and had pressed us
for an early transfer of responsibility for internal security in Aden.
They regarded this as fundamental to their Government's chance of
survival; and believed that they had a better chance of bringing
terrorism under control than we had, provided that they could do so while
our forces were still there. If we were not able to meet their wishes
in this respect there was a grave risk that the Federal Government would
disintegrate before independence, perhaps very quickly. For this reason
the grant of independence for South Arabia should be advanced to
1st November 1967 and British sovereignty over Aden and protection over
the rest of South Arabia should end on that date. All British forces
should also be withdrawn by that date except for a force of one brigade and some air support, which would remain, and be stationed at Khormaksar
until 31st January 1968 for the external defence of the Federation.
1st February until 30th April air support would be provided to the
South Arabian Government, again for external defence only, by carrier-based
aircraft. Under the proposals our forces on land would still leave
South Arabia within the time scale originally envisaged.
From
The main aim of
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