SEAD
CONFIDENTIAL
Hkk 243/14/
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SPECIAL CONFERENCE ON VIETNAMESE REFUGEES ! prob
1. Mr Heidler, the London Representative of UNHCR, who called to see me on 6 June, telephoned today on instructions from the High Commissioner, Mr Hartling, with the following questions.
2. The UNHCR understands that our objectives in calling for a conference are as given to Dr Waldheim and the UNHCR (drawn from FCO telegram to UKMIS New York No 230) in the following terms:
"We and like-minded countries will need to ensure that
the discussion in the conference is practical, and faces up to the urgent need:
a).
b).
to make a major resettlement effort based on anything from a quarter of a million refugees (current, excluding China where over 200,000 may or may not have been permanently resettled) to over a million (possible): and
to relieve pressure on the countries of refuge (notably Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong) 'if possible by political solutions but in any case by practical help for the unshiftable surplus in camps."
3. When I confirmed this, Mr Heidler took the line which we have already detected in Mr Hartling's thinking, that his preliminary consultations must be based on lobbying those countries who are prepared to help; and reasonably firm getting assurances from them in advance of the conference both on the number of refugees they would take and, if possible, their financial contributions. If there were enough firm pledges of this sort, the UNHCR could propose calling a conference at which the objective would be, presumably, to draw up a pledging plan. He therefore asked whether the UK was prepared to take its reasonable share in such a plan. It would help
Mr Hartling's consultations if he knew that the country respon- sible for calling the conference would play its full part, i.e. in taking refugees.
CONFIDENTIAL
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