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to a number of British exporters. This cover, which involves a UK
Government subsidy of about 8%, is a standard export subsidy, and is
not considered to include any aid element.
Other Aid To Vietnam
Bilateral Aid
21. Only three Western countries have continuing substantial aid
programmes for Vietnam, Japan (US$ 80 million plus), Sweden (US$92
million) and Norway (US$ 15 million). A number of others including UK
have uncompleted projects or commitments, but the Nine, Australia and
New Zealand have all announced that they are entering into no new
commitments.
Community Food Aid
22.
The Community will be represented as such at the Geneva Conference by the Commission and the Presidency (Ireland). At the meeting of the Nine, at official level, which is expected to take place before the Conference starts the Commission are likely to be present and to explain proposals for action by the Community. These will have been by then further discussed in COREPER on 18 July (it has been arranged that UKREP will repeat their reporting telegram immediate to Geneva).
23 The Commission recently suspended shipments of food aid to Vietnam under the Community's 1979 food aid programme. (Project aid to Vietnam under the Community's 1978 aid to non-associates programme was suspended at the turn of the year.)
24 The Community recently adopted a formal decision to provide 1,500 tonnes of skimmed milk and 8,000 tonnes of rice through the UNHCR for the South East Asian refugees. At Dutch insistence, however, it has not yet been formally agreed that at least the rice element in this should come from the suspended Vietnam 1979
allocation.
25 The Commission has now made further proposals for Community action in South East Asia, which will be discussed in COREPER on
These are as follows:-
18 July.
(a)
Council of Ministers will be invited to unblock some of the suspended 1979 Vietnam food aid for distribution by UNHCR to Cambodian refugees in Vietnam (2,700 tonnes of rice);
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