LONDON -- British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook will not make a formal offer of citizenship to the dependent territories when he addresses their leaders at a conference today, The Royal Gazette has learned.

But he will lay out a series of regulatory and human rights conditions that the territories must meet if their subjects are to be considered for United Kingdom citizenship, sources said. The revelations came as Premier Pamela Gordon and the chief ministers of nine other dependent territories, held a 90-minute long closed-doors meeting with Mr. Cook at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office yesterday afternoon.

Ms Gordon would not comment on the discussions with Mr. Cook except to say that the Government leaders made it clear that they were unhappy with Britain imposing legislative changes on the territories without sufficient consultation.

These concerns are likely to be emphasised at today's Dependent Territories Association conference given the likely tenor of Mr. Cook's speech.

It is understood that he will "put citizenship on the table'' but will add that it needs to be discussed individually with each territory.

Among the conditions he will lay down for citizenship, are the abolition of capital and corporal punishment. The abolition of anti-gay sex laws, which was expected to be among the conditions, will not now be included, sources say.

Cook's four-tier process Mr. Cook will also lay out a four-tier process of legislative steps for each territory's financial sectors. These include: A strong regulatory framework which is in compliance with international standards.

Comprehensive measures to combat money laundering.

An extensive series of checks on "shell companies'' registered in off-shore territories but based elsewhere as in the case of many off-shore banks; and Cooperation in overseas investigations where the criminal trail appears to lead through or to an individual or company based in a dependent territory.

It is also understood that Britain wishes to be consulted on the control of overseas borrowing by dependent territories in order to be satisfied that the territory can afford to take on the debt.

Bermuda Government officials said yesterday that they believed the Island met all the financial conditions to be set down by Mr. Cook.

It is understood that the FCO is concerned that if dependent territory subjects did become UK citizens, it could put Britain in breach of its treaty obligations with the European Union and under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Ms Gordon said last night that she could not comment on the details of Mr.

Cook's speech but she added: "The question we have to resolve is `what is the price of citizenship?''' She said Government remains concerned about British pressure to expand the Proceeds of Crime Act to include the concept of "dual criminality,'' which is not expected to be in Mr. Cook's speech today.

Dual criminality applies in cases where a person evades taxes in one country and establishes a company in another jurisdiction. That jurisdiction would then be expected to enforce payment of the taxes as the "lead regulator.'' "Bermuda is supposed to enforce someone else's tax laws. This is contrary to common law on fiscal matters,'' Attorney General Elliott Mottley said yesterday.

Ms Gordon did confirm that at yesterday's meeting the leaders of the dependent territories expressed their opposition in the strongest terms to Britain imposing decisions on them without adequate consultation.

She said a dinner, attended by all the dependent territory leaders last night, resulted in an agreement to review and strengthen the structure of the DTA.

"We want to negotiate in an atmosphere of respect and equality,'' Ms Gordon said. "This is historic because all the territories will come together with one voice.

One of the changes to the DTA being considered, is a six month rotating presidency among the dependent territory heads of Government.

There could also be regular meetings of the heads of Government where mutual and topical concerns could be discussed.

The Cayman Islands is about to adopt Bermuda's five-year plan which was launched after the 1993 General Election.

Government officials met with Cayman Islands' leaders in London yesterday to brief them on the plan, which emerged out of the United Bermuda Party's "Blueprint'' published in the 1993 election campaign.

Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness said the plan had been adopted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as an example of good government and proposed it to other small countries.