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p do all they can to alleviate this very heavy burden so that Hong Kong can continue to respond liberally to future demands.
The second area I would like to highlight is Southern Africa. The political situation in that region is extremely sensitive and many people have very strong feelings, some of which may be voiced in this Committee. My Government well understand these feelings and are working hard to help achieve just and peaceful solutions to the area's problems. But in the essentially humanitarian forum of the UNHCR Executive Committee I believe we should seek to avoid political controversy and try to secure practical measures to help the plight of the refugees. To this end my Government are co-operating closely with UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations and have this year contributed over $4 million to various appeals concerning Southern Africa.
It gave my Government the greatest pleasure to learn that Sir Seretse Khama, the President of Botswana, a fellow member of the Commonwealth, had been awarded the Nansen Medal earlier this year. I wish to congratulate the President and people of Botswana, who have very limited resources, for the example they have given us and for their efforts and sacrifices on behalf of those refugees many of whom are children who have fled across its borders. Let us hope that a peaceful settlement in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe will lead quickly to a resolution of these problems and relieve Botswana of some of the burden.
We fully support the High Commissioner in his endeavours to secure more accessions to the international refugee treaties and more thorough implementation of their provisions. My Government have been in close touch with UNHCR about possible means by which the UK's own procedures could be improved on lines recommended by last year's Executive Committee. We shall continue our close co-operation to this end.
My Government welcomes the two papers submitted by the High Commissioner to the meeting of our sub-committee on protection last Friday. As you know, these concerned the problems of the extra
/territorial