CONFIDENTIAL
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HKK 243
GRS 329
CONFIDENTIAL
FM BERNE 021455Z AUGUST 79
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 72 OF 2 AUGUST
REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO UKMIS GENEVA AND HONG KONG
INFO SAVING CANBERRA, OTTAWA, BUENOS AIRES, VIENNA, BRUSSELS, COPENHAGEN, PARIS, BONN, TEL AVIV, ROME, THE HAGUE, WELLINGTON, OSLO, MADRID, STOCKHOLM, WASHINGTON
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YOUR TELEGRAM NO 355 TO CANBERRA:
RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG
1. YESTERDAY BEING NATIONAL DAY HERE, I CALLED TODAY (2 AUGUST)
AS SOON AS I COULD ON AMBASSADOR POMETTA IN THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED AND ON THE LINES OF
HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO 1057 I ALSO LEFT A COPY OF MY SPEAKING NOTE BASED ON THAT TELEGRAM.\
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2. AMBASSADOR POMETTA REPLIED THAT WHILE SWITZERLAND HAD ALREADY
ANNOUNCED THE FIGURE OF THREE THOUSAND REFUGEES FOR 1979,
SHE WAS, AS FEDERAL COUNCILLOR FURGLER HAD SAID IN HIS GENEVA
SPEECH, PREPARED TO INCREASE THIS NUMBER. AS FAR AS HONG KONG
WAS CONCERNED A SWISS DELEGATION WOULD BE VISITING THERE AND THIS
WOULD PROVIDE THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES WITH A CHANCE TO PRESS
THEIR OWN CASE. SHE FOR HER PART WOULD CERTAINLY PASS ON MY
REPRESENTATIONS TO FEDERAL COUNCILLOR FURGLER. AMBASSADOR POMETTA
ADDED (THOUGH NOT THEREBY DETRACTING FROM THE FORCE OF WHAT SHE HAD JUST SAID) THAT FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE SWITZERLAND WAS MOST
CONCERNED TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP THOSE WHOSE LIVES WERE ACTUALLY
THREATENED. SHE WENT ON TO SAY THAT, WHATEVER THE FIGURES BEING
TALKED ABOUT AT THE MOMENT, ALL COUNTRIES WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO
INCREASE THEIR QUOTAS AND SWITZERLAND WOULD CERTAINLY BE AMONG
THEM.
3.
IN CONCLUSION, AMBASSADOR POMETTA SAID THAT THE SWISS DELEGATION TO THE RECENT GENEVA CONFERENCE (WHICH HAD INCLUDED HERSELF)
HAD BEEN MUCH IMPRESSED BY YOUR OWN SPEECH AND THAT OF THE GOVERNOR
OF HONG KONG, AND WERE PARTICULARLY ANXIOUS TO SEE PURSUED YOUR
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