RESTRICTED
1171A
HkK
205/1
HA25
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RECORD OF A MEETING HELD ON 18 JUNE 1979 AT HCR HEADQUARTERS, GENEVA BETWEEN MR PETER BLAKER, MINSTER STATE, FCO, AND MR POUL HARTLING, UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
Present:
Mr P Blaker
Mt D F Murray Mr C Munro
Sir J Murray
Mr K G MacInnes
UKMIS Geneva
Mr DR Snoxell
Mr P Hartling
Mr Dale de Haan, Deputy High
Commissioner
Mr G Jaeger
Mr Dayal, Special Assistant
to the High Commissioner
1. After the opening courtesies Mr Blaker described our objectives in proposing a UN conference, namely to stir the conscience of the world; ensure adequate arrangements for the refugees and reduce the pressure on the countries of first asylum. Mr Blaker then invited the High Commissioner to assess the progress he was making in his consultations. Mr Hartling said that his office had been working day and night on the Indo-China situation. 500,000 refugees had left Indo- China since mid-1975 (excluding the 135,000 evacuated by the Americans in 1975 and the 230,000 who had fled to China). Of these almost 200,000 had been resettled in 31 countries, mainly in the US, Canada and France. This left 300,000 still in the region which was an increase from the 200,000 as of 1 January. UNHCR were taking care of 160,000 refugees in
Thailand. They were sending on 10,000 a month, (ie 300 per day) out of the area for permanent resettlement which was a major exercise. In October 1978 53,000 resettlement places were available and partly as a result of the December consultations there were now 125,000 places (ie 10,000 a month).
He was particularly keen that countries in Latin America should take Vietnamese refugees and appealed for countries friendly to UNHCR to put pressure on them to do so.
2.
Mr Hartling turned to the indicative figure which he had put to the UK. He described it as audacious and unusual. He had already put indicative figures to 10 other countries, and if he could reach commitments totalling 250,000 then he could invite the SE Asian countries to keep one refugee for every two resettled elsewhere, ie 70-90,000. If these countries were convinced that we were trying to help, they would accept this number. There was a need to put pressure on all governments to take their share and also on the SE Asian group not to close the doors. UNHCR had in the past resettled many people from Latin America. For example, Sweden had taken 12,000 a year and have just decided to take 250 Vietnamese, although the High Commissioner hoped Sweden would soon be doing better.
/3.