Cabinet is ?gratified? that Foreign Office junior minister Bill Rammell has left the door open for Bermuda to pursue Independence via a General Election, Premier Alex Scott said last night.

In a written statement, Mr. Scott also said the Rammell statement, revealed by on Monday, also appeared to endorse Government?s decision to form the Bermuda Independence Commission.

Mr. Scott, who discussed the policy with Cabinet yesterday, also took credit for the production of the statement, saying he had asked at last year?s Overseas Territories Consultative Council meeting for clarification from Mr. Rammell on how Overseas Territories could move to Independence.

Mr. Scott said he made the request after (Bermuda) Deputy Governor Nick Carter had suggested that public support for Independence could only be tested by referendum.

Mr. Scott said that contrary to the Deputy Governor?s suggestion, colonies had moved to Independence after elections in which the victorious party stood on an independence platform.

He said his position was backed by the Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Michael Misick. He said Mr. Misick stated at the meeting that he was disappointed to hear Mr. Rammell?s preliminary view in favour of referenda since he believed that most territories had gone independent on the basis of an election mandate.

Mr. Scott said Cabinet concurred with his opinion that Mr. Rammell?s letter appeared to strengthen the Government?s formation of the Bermuda Independence Commission.

He said Cabinet was also gratified to see that far from indicating that referendum was the only choice, Mr. Rammell made it clear that ?when ... a final decision on whether to go the referendum route, and what form the referendum might take, would need to be determined by the UK on a case by case basis, reflecting the uniqueness and individual characteristics of each territory?.

Mr. Scott said the BIC had been set up to gather and disseminate information so that when the time comes for the people to make this decision, they will be able to do so in an informed way, having been armed with all the facts.

?BICchairman Bishop Vernon Lambe is currently on a fact finding trip in Washington.

It was not clear last night how long the trip would last but sources said further trips were abroad were planned.

Bishop Lambe has gone with Government lawyer Philip Perinchief who is to liase between Government and the independent commission which has been given a remit of reporting on the pros and cons of the issue to Cabinet within six months.