Britain in the Commonwealth: the 1997 Edinburgh summit Witness Seminar Edited by Dr Sue Onslow, Deputy Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study and Dr Michael Kandiah, Director, Witness Seminar Programme, Department of Political Economy, King’s College London. President Nelson Mandela of South Africa with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair Tony Nelson Mandela Minister of South Africa with UK Prime President commonwealth.assetbank-server.com Source: Britain in the Commonwealth: The 1997 Edinburgh Commonwealth heads of Government meeting Monday, 19th March 2018 The Court Room First Floor Senate House Malet Street London WC1E 7HU Programme: Chair: Dr Sue Onslow, Deputy Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London Witnesses: Participants: Amitav Banerji, then Deputy Conference Secretary, Commonwealth Secretariat Sir Richard Dales, KCVO, CMG, then Director, Africa and the Commonwealth, FCO, [Written contribution] Martin Hatfull, then Head, Commonwealth Coordination Department, Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Sir John Holmes GCVO, KBE, CMG, then Principal Private Secretary (PPS) to the Prime Minister Anji Hunter, then Personal Assistant to the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Tony Blair Stuart Mole CVO OBE, then Director and Head of the Office of the Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku Prunella Scarlett LVO, then Director, Commonwealth Affairs at the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) Introduction The meeting in Edinburgh in 1997 was the last occasion on which Britain hosted the Commonwealth heads’ meeting, and the discussions covered a range of important issues for the future direction of the association which remain relevant and highly topical: the great step forward on trade, business and investment; the denouement of the Nigerian crisis and the willingness to impose sanctions; the return of Fiji and the presence of President Nelson Mandela; the elevation of HM the Queen into the summit itself; the start of a visible Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) presence; and discussion on possible new members. This is the third in a series of witness seminars organized by the Institute of 1 Commonwealth Studies. The first focused on the formation and work of the Eminent Persons Group of 1986 and the outcome and impact of the EPG’s visit to apartheid South Africa. The second addressed the role and functions of the Commonwealth Secretariat since 1965 and was held on June 2013. This seminar is being organized in collaboration with King’s College, London. Since 1986, the ICBH Witness Seminar Programme has conducted nearly 100 witness seminars on a variety of subjects: most recently, the ICBH’s witness seminar series has examined the work of UK Embassies/High Commissions in Washington, Moscow, New Delhi, Pretoria and the Caribbean. These witness seminars have been well received by both practitioners, and the academic community who have increasingly come to see that it is important to examine and analyse the function of British overseas missions, as well as to capture the perspective of contemporary actors of recent events. The significance of history and the importance of gathering and utilizing oral history interviews have also been identified in the report of the Foreign Affairs Committee, The Role of the FCO in UK Government (published 29 April 2011). In oral evidence, Foreign Secretary William Hague stated: ‘history is vitally important in knowledge and practice of foreign policy’. He further stated, ‘One of the things that I have asked to be worked up is a better approach to how we use the alumni of the Foreign Office, [and]… continue to connect them more systematically to the Foreign Office.’ He went on to say: ‘these people who are really at the peak of their knowledge of the world, with immense diplomatic experience, then walk out of the door, never to be seen again in the Foreign Office.’ In terms of the Commonwealth, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies’ extensive collection of interviews with leading Commonwealth figures in the modern Commonwealth, contains a number of important interviews of those who were involved in the 1997 Edinburgh summit. However, the role and insights of leading British figures and diplomats is absent and needs to be collected, particularly as British officials prepare again to host a Commonwealth summit, and the UK government moves into the Chair-in-Office role until the 2020 Malaysian summit. For these reasons it is important to gather the memories of those FCO alumni who worked on the preparatory arrangements for the 1997 Edinburgh meeting, together with the recollections of senior Commonwealth diplomats, over a period in which the UK’s relationship within the Commonwealth continued to evolve. Dr Sue Onslow, Deputy Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London And Dr Michael Kandiah, Director, Witness Seminar Programme, Department of Political Economy, King’s College, London 2 Format The seminar has been divided into two parts. The first witness seminar panel will focus on the preparations around the 1997 Edinburgh summit, the summit itself and ‘retreat’ of Commonwealth leaders at Gleneagles; and the second session will consider the outcome, and implications for British policy and engagement with the modern Commonwealth; and the role and functions of Commonwealth diplomats and civil society organizations. • The witness seminar is like a group interview or conversation, led and moderated by the chair. • There is an audience consisting of Commonwealth Secretariat alumni and current staff, academics and students of foreign policy. If there is time, the chair will ask for contributions and questions from the floor. • The witness seminar is a public event and it will be recorded and transcribed. • No one other than the official sound recorder should attempt to record the event. • All participants will be identified in the recording and transcripts. It is essential that each speaker, whether a witness or from the floor, identify himself or herself before speaking for the first time. • The agreed transcript of the proceedings, with speakers and their contributions identified, will be published electronically, on the Institute of Commonwealth Studies’ Resources platform and on the Round Table (The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs) website. 3 Brief Chronology1 NOTE: the following is not meant to provide an exhaustive chronology of Britain’s relations within the modern Commonwealth. It is intended to help refresh people’s memories by covering significant events and milestones in the history of the Commonwealth, with reference, where relevant to the UK, and to significant world events: 1926 Imperial Conference: The UK and its Dominions agree they are ‘equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations’. 16 August 1930 The first British Empire Games (the forerunners of the Commonwealth Games), Hamilton, Canada. 11 December 1931 The Statute of Westminster formalizes the Balfour Declaration (1926). Parliament renounces legislative power over the Dominions. It is adopted by Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland and the Union of South Africa. Australia and New Zealand decline. 16 February 1934 Self-government of the Dominion of Newfoundland is suspended, and replaced by the Commission of Government. Newfoundland ceases to be in the Commonwealth. 4 August 1934 The second British Empire Games open in London. 5 February 1938 The third British Empire Games open in Sydney, Australia. 1 May 1944 The first Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London. 23 April 1946 The second Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London. 14 August 1947 Pakistan (including modern Bangladesh) joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the UK 15 August 1947 India joins the Commonwealth on being granted independence by the UK 21 October 1947 India and Pakistan begin the first Indo-Pakistani War, over Kashmir and Jammu. (The first armed conflict between two members of the Commonwealth). 25 November 1947 New Zealand passes the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act (1947) and becomes a member of the Commonwealth. 4 February 1948 Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) joins the Commonwealth on being granted independence by the UK. 16 June 1948 Three European plantation managers are killed in Perak, sparking the Malayan Emergency, leading to the deployment of Commonwealth troops in Malaya. 11 October 1948 The third Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London. 31 December 1948 India and Pakistan sign a ceasefire, ending the first Indo- Pakistan War 31 March 1949 Newfoundland (a Dominion since 1934) joins Canada as a province. 18 April 1949 Eire leaves the Commonwealth upon becoming a republic (when the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 comes into effect.) 1 Compiled by Dr Sue Onslow using a variety of open access online sources, which have been acknowledged where appropriate 4 22 April 1949 The fourth Commonwealth Prime Minister’s Conference. Agenda is dominated by India’s future within the Commonwealth. 28 April 1949 The Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the London Declaration. It allows India (and henceforth all other members) to remain in the Commonwealth without having the British monarch as Head of State, creates the position of Head of the Commonwealth, and changes the name of the organisation