"post-Hong Kong'' will soon be spelled out by new British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook.

But last night a British Parliamentary expert on Foreign Affairs said there were unlikely to be any major changes in the near future.

It is doubtful the current position on former colonies -- independence for any territory which wants it -- will change.

And Britain's anti-death penalty stance -- especially with a Labour Government whose MPs generally vote against the reintroduction of capital punishment -- is likely to mean a continuation of the current policy of commuting capital sentences.

A change, however, in access rights to Britain for the remaining dependent territories, which includes Bermuda, is on the cards.

But it is believed the British Government does not want to make any changes in the immediate aftermath of the Hong Kong handover to Communist China on July 1.

Mr. Cook will speak during a major debate on his new responsibilities in the House of Commons next week.

The news came as new Governor Thorold Masefield fielded media questions at Government House yesterday.

On the death penalty, he told reporters: "I am not sure the Governor is in a position to have personal feelings or possibly to expose them in that sense in that I am here in primarily in a Constitutional position.'' But he added: "I think the interesting thing there is not only the atmosphere here in Bermuda, but the feeling which has developed elswhere in the world, particularly in Britain and particularly in a Britain which finds itself in a Europe where the death penalty is almost unknown these days.'' Mr. Masefield added that the new Labour Government was likely to be more firmly against the death penalty than some of its predecessors.

He said: "It's against that background that I would find myself, I think, in any Constitutional position here in Bermuda.'' Britain has already banned the death penalty in its Caribbean dependent territories and has indicated that it would like to see Bermuda repeal capital punishment in Bermuda. Bermudians voted overwhelmingly to retain the death penalty in a referendum in August, 1990.

INDEPENDENT IND