The Best of the Bureau/The_Best_of_the_Bureau_Bureau_Development_Inc._1992.iso/dp/0053/00533.txt

Text File | 1992-08-07 | 20KB | 322 lines

$Unique_ID{bob00533}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{United Kingdom
Dependencies}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC}
$Affiliation{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC}
$Subject{britain
nuclear
soviet
weapons
security
agreement
disarmament
states
british
treaty}
$Date{1990}
$Log{}
Title:       United Kingdom
Book:        Britain's Overseas Relations
Author:      Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC
Affiliation: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC
Date:        1990

Dependencies

     There are 14 remaining British dependent territories: Anguilla; Bermuda;
British Antarctic Territory; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin
Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Hong Kong; Montserrat;
Pitcairn, Ducie, Henderson and Oeno; St Helena and St Helena Dependencies
(Ascension, Tristan da Cunha); South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
and the Turks and Caicos Islands. They have a combined population of 5.5
million, of which 5.3 million live in Hong Kong. Few are rich in natural
resources, and some are scattered groups of islands. There are no permanent
inhabitants in the British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory
or South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Most dependencies have
considerable self-government with their own legislature and civil service.
Britain is generally responsible, through a Governor, for defence, internal
security and foreign affairs.

     It is Britain's policy to give independence to those dependencies that
want it and where it is practicable to do so, and not to force it on those
which do not or where it is not practicable. In the case of the Falkland
Islands, which is the subject of a territorial claim by Argentina, the
inhabitants wish to retain the link with Britain. The Government is committed
to the defence of the Islanders' right to live under a government of their own
choosing. The Islanders' right of self-determination is reflected in the 1985
Falkland Islands Constitution.

     Argentina and Chile have claims to territory which overlaps part of the
British Antarctic Territory. Claims to territorial sovereignty in the
Antarctic, however, are suspended by the provisions of the 1959 Antarctic
Treaty.

     Gibraltar is the subject of a territorial claim by Spain, which imposed
border restrictions in the 1960s. Since the return of democracy to Spain,
Britain and Spain have reached agreement on the method for handling their
differences over Gibraltar, Spanish restictions being lifted in February 1985.
Britain wishes to see the development of practical co-operation between
Gibraltar and Spain to the benefit of both peoples and remains committed to
honouring the wishes of the people of Gibraltar as to their future.

     In 1984 an agreement was signed between Britain and the People's Republic
of China on the future of Hong Kong. Under the agreement, which was ratified
by the two Governments in 1985, Britain will continue to be responsible for
the administration of Hong Kong until 30 June 1997, when the territory will be
restored to China. The Chinese Government will then establish a Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region, which will enjoy a high degree of autonomy,
except in foreign and defence affairs. It will be vested with executive,
legislative and independent judicial powers and its government will be
composed of local inhabitants. The laws currently in force in Hong Kong will
remain basically unchanged, as will its present social and economic systems
and its way of life. Private property rights and other rights and freedoms
will be protected by law. These arrangements will remain in place for at least
50 years after 1997.

International Peace and Security

     Britain is concerned to protect its territorial integrity and political
independence, as well as the interests of its dependencies and of its allies,
and pursues these objectives through a national security policy in which
deterrence and defence are coupled with efforts towards removing or
alleviating the causes of international tension and achieving balanced and
verifiable international arms control and disarmament.

     British defence policy is based on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(NATO) which member countries regard as their guarantee of security, freedom
and well-being, and as an important contributor to international peace and
stability. The purpose of NATO is to enable its member countries to maintain
peace with freedom. It pursues a strategy of deterrence, designed to convince
any potential aggressor that the use of force, or the threat of it, carries
risks far outweighing any likely advantage. At the same time NATO countries
seek through international negotiations to reach arms control agreements which
will enhance their security at lower levels of forces.

     Britain's defence resources are concentrated on key NATO tasks. However,
the Government's defence policy is also designed to promote, whenever
possible, British and more general Western interests outside the NATO area. In
addition, Britain demonstrates its world-wide interests by periodic military
deployments and exercises overseas; by supporting United Nations and other
peacekeeping efforts; and by providing military assistance and training to a
number of friendly countries.

East-West Relations

     Britain seeks improvements in East-West relations based on a broader
understanding and on the recognition that East and West have a common interest
in peace and security at a lower level of weapons. The Government believes
that both sides should avoid policies which risk provoking confrontation and
should aim instead for mutual accommodation and co-operation while exercising
restraint in the conduct of international relations both in Europe and in the
rest of the world. This is explicitly recognised in the 1975 Helsinki Final
Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), which
states that European security has to be considered in the broader context of
world security. Britain is committed to doing everything possible to reduce
the risks of war and to avoid misunderstanding. The Government is following a
policy of increased contacts at all levels with the Soviet Union and its
allies; the Prime Minister, for instance, visited Moscow in 1987 for talks
with the Soviet leaders; she also met the General Secretary of the Soviet
Communist Party, Mr Mikhail Gorvachev, at Brize Norton in December 1987 and
the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary visited the Soviet Union in February
1988. Britain welcomed the signature by the United States and the Soviet Union
of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (see p 89) in December 1987. Britain
also welcomed the Geneva Agreement on Afghanistan signed in April 1988 by the
Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Under the settlement, formally
guaranteed by the United States and the Soviet Union, Soviet troops will be
withdrawn over a period of nine months and the Afghan refugees allowed to
return home. The phased withdrawal of Soviet troops began in May 1988. Britain
hopes that the agreement will lead to a representative government in
Afghanistan.

CSCE

     Britain believes that full implementation by all participants of the
provisions of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act would lead to increased stability
in Europe and improved co-operation between the 35 European and North American
signatory states. While not a legally binding document, the Final Act
established a large number of important political commitments and a code of
behaviour for what the participants hope will in time become a more normal and
open relationship between both governments and peoples in East and West. To
this end it contains undertakings about security, respect for human rights,
and co-operation in economic, humanitarian and other matters. Meetings to
review the application of the Final Act took place in Belgrade in 1977-78 and
in Madrid between 1980 and 1983; a third began in Vienna in November 1986. The
Madrid meeting,