Mr Murray
CONFIDENTIAL
cc Mr Buist ODA
Mr Cortazzi
Hkk 2431 0226
майну
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1169A
Mr Simon, SEAD
Mr McLaren, HKGD
Mr Fitzherbert, EID (E) Mr S-Orlebar, UND
AID FOR VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
PROBLEM
по
827.1 Hy
27 6
1. Can we claw back the British contribution to EEC cereals food
aid allocated to Vietnam to provide a British cash contribution
to the work of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR) to help refugees from Vietnam?
CONCLUSION
2. We could try to convince our EEC partners and the Commission that the second tranche of 43,000 tonnes of grain, earmarked for Vietnam, should be withheld.. But this would only mean that this 43,000 tonnes of grain would be allocated to other recipients. These might be refugees from Vietnam, living in camps elsewhere
in South East Asia. It would not be possible to withdraw the UK
contribution so that the money could be used for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT
3.
..
Under the Food Aid Convention of 1971 the Community is
committed to supply a total of 1,287,000 tonnes of grain in food aid per year. A fixed percentage of this is supplied under joint Community action, administered by the Commission and financed
from the EEC Budget.
4.
It was agreed in the Council of Ministers on 8 May that 720,500 tonnes of grain should be supplied under joint Community
action. The Council of Ministers also agreed that 86,000 tonnes,
in two equal tranches, would be allocated to Vietnam.
5.
The Commission have agreed the transfer of the second tranche of 43,000 tonnes of grain to Vietnam should be conditional on their "good international behaviour". We could seek to persuade our partners and the Commission that Vietnam had forfeited the right to this second tranche by its offences against Human Rights
CONFIDENTIAL
over / the
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