CONFIDENTIAL
ESSENTIAL FACTS
Action at the United Nations
a
1. Options include action in the Security Council, the call for special session of the General Assembly, action in the General Assembly and in ECOSOC. Before any follow-up action is initiated, decisions will be necessary on the end result, the wish to achieve and the tactics we wish to follow. It should be kept in mind that any further action on Vietnam/Indo-China refugees in the UN context, particularly at the UK initiative, could well produce pressures from Arab and African governments for increasing UN/Western involve- ment with the refugees in their respective continents and for action against those considered responsible.
Security Council
2.
Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and securit Article 34 of the Charter provides
3.
that:
"The Security Council may investigate any dispute or any situation which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute, in order to determine whether the continuance
of the dispute or situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security.
It is not normal practice for the Security Council to consider economic or humanitarian issues. If we are to be consistent in our Line about the role of the Security Council, an approach to the Council should not be based on the humanitarian aspects of the problem but upon the political ones, particularly those relating to international peace and security.
Options
4. The range of options at a Security Council meeting after the Geneva meeting includes in order of likely success
(i) condemnation of Vietnam (the USSR would veto);
(ii) expressions of dismay and regret at the refugee situation
(of no use);
(iii)
to take appropriate
a call to the international community to action (again of little use);
CONFIDENTIAL
/(iv)