had supported Independence in the past. Mr. Lines maintains the closest he has come to such an endorsement was in the late 1980s when he said at a meeting that "if the public decided Independence was their choice we would support them''.

Independence will likely be "back on the agenda'' as a result of the military base withdrawals from the Island, the Premier says.

The Hon. Sir John Swan made the suggestion at a closed meeting of the Bermuda International Business Association on Friday.

And yesterday his statement was backed by Bank of Bermuda president Mr. Donald Lines, who said Bermuda must consider the issue in terms of economic survival.

Although sources say Independence has yet to be discussed formally at the highest levels of Government, it is bound to be as a result of the changes manifested by the closures of the US, British and Candian bases and global economic changes.

Yesterday, two senior Government Ministers said it was only sensible for the Island to look at all its options as it comes to grips with the post-Cold War world.

Health Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness said Independence must be reconsidered sooner than later.

"The people of Bermuda have no alternative but to consider how they're going to independently look after themselves in the future,'' he said.

"It has become clear to even the casual observer that Bermuda now has to be directly in control of its own economic and political destiny.'' And Government Senate Leader the Hon. Mike Winfield, said he thought consideration of Independence was a natural follow-on to recent events: "Constitutionally, we're tied to a (European) trading bloc which is on the other side of the Atlantic while the most powerful economy in the world has become much more powerful as a trading bloc through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

"We should be cognisant of that. Little Bermuda could become isolated if it is not careful.'' Sen. Winfield, a long-time supporter of Independence, said Government's position on the issue remained unchanged: Any decision on Independence would have to be made by a majority of the people, most likely through a referendum.

Premier Swan provided insight into his thinking on the issue on Friday when he told The Royal Gazette that closure of the Royal Navy base amounted to a "further erosion of ties with the British Government''.

The Premier, who has expressed support for Independence, was on vacation yesterday and could not be reached for comment.

But he has been hinting that Bermuda must see the Base closures and economic changes abroad as an historical watershed that should prompt new and bold thinking on Bermuda's future.

Mr. Lines, who publicly supported Independence in the late 1980s, mirrored Sen. Winfield's concern that Bermudians needed to overcome an "entrenched fear'' of the Independence issue.

And the banker, like Mr. Edness, said the issue was urgent.

"We're at a crossroads,'' he said. "The trouble is we all like things to remain unchanged. But things are changing.

"We can be left in the dust or try to change things and move along.'' Mr.

Lines' point of view was anchored in the North American Free Trade Agreement, which had "changed the world''.

"It's more dramatic than people realise. It has shifted the balance of economic power to North America.'' Mr. Lines indicated Bermuda Independence should be tied to the critical North American market in the form of NAFTA.

The issue, he said, was "not as scary if we become part of a big trading group. The circumstances are dramatically different from what they were five years ago.'' Mr. Lines said Bermuda's small size should not be a factor in access to NAFTA because size does not matter within trading blocks.

However, its size combined with its current ties to the UK "would make it extremely difficult to negotiate relationships to give us the opportunity to be part of it all.

"We can't negotiate at the present time.'' He said "some would argue'' that the UK on international matters is driven "by their needs, not ours... We must take a look at ourselves again.''