Bermuda stands apart from the British Dependent Territories it met with in London this week, Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan said yesterday.

Many Caribbean countries were tied to Britain for financial aid, but Bermuda's priorities were different, Sir John told The Royal Gazette .

"Bermuda's in a unique position,'' he said. "It has this insurance business, and it has this tourist business. It has a strong infrastructure built up, and doesn't have problems of aid and support.'' With the exception of the Cayman Islands, other British Dependent Territories that attended "need financial support and therefore need to have a different focus.

"Once they become Independent, they can't expect to get aid from Britain anymore.'' Bermuda's focus was maintaining its present standards through stability and growth, said Sir John, who returned to the Island yesterday.

While Bermuda was not reliant on Great Britain for financial support, the Premier said there was no telling whether the Island would move closer to Independence during this term of the Government.

"I don't know,'' said Sir John, who has publicly supported Bermudian Independence in the past. "It really is a question of the will of the people.'' Independence was not a major topic at the Conference of British Dependent Territories, partly held to discuss interdependence and regional cooperation.

But there was some talk about what Britain's position would be regarding the remaining Dependent Territories once Hong Kong returned to the Chinese in 1997. The remaining Dependent Territories would all have fewer than 200,000 people, Sir John said.

At the Conference, there was a broad discussion about how the territories would be affected by world changes, and how partnerships could be formed to alleviate the impact, the Premier said.

With the North American Free Trade Agreement area emerging as a major trading block, there were questions about relations with that trading zone versus the European Community.

"You cannot expect to get full support out of NAFTA, and turn around and get the same benefits out of the European community,'' Sir John said.

While the Conference was "remarkably'' successful, it also left more questions asked than answered, he said. Because the British Dependent Territories faced different problems than the Dutch or French, it emerged that the British territories needed to hold a meeting of their own.

Among issues that could be discussed was "what are the best arrangements that can be made in terms of strengthening our relationship with the European community.'' The possibility of a meeting was being discussed when Sir John left early in order to return in time for today's House of Assembly session.