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RESCUE VESSELS INTO THE AREA WHICH, BECAUSE OF THE 'MAGNET EFFECT', MIGHT CAUSE MORE DEATHS THAN THEY PREVENTED, CLARENCE ACKNOWLEDGED THE FORCE OF THIS ARGUMENT. WE HAD NOT AT THE TIME SEEN HONG KONG
TELNO 1060 AND SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF WOULD PASS ON TO CLARENCE THE
FURTHER ARGUMENT IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF THAT TELEGRAM:
(B) THERE WERE NO UK NAVAL FORCES STATIONED NEAR THE AREA, NOR COULD ANY BE DETACHED FROM PRIORITY TASKS IN THE NATO AREA. THE ONLY SCOPE FOR ASSISTANCE WAS BY NAVAL GROUPS PASSING THROUGH WHO WOULD, OF COURSE, OBSERVE THEIR OBLIGATIONS UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW. 6. AS REGARDS HONG KONG, WE DREW ON HONG KONG TELNO 1056 AND SAID THAT THERE SEEMED TO BE NO HELP THAT HONG KONG COULD GIVE EXCEPT PERHAPS STRESSING THAT WE SPOKE WITHOUT AUTHORITY ON THIS THE BENEFIT OF RADAR AND COMMUNICATION FACILITIES.
7. ON MERCHANT SHIPPING, WE SOUGHT CLARIFICATION OF THE THIRD SENTENCE OF POINT (XVII) ON THE UNHCR'S 'SUGGESTED PLAN OF ACTION. CLARENCE SAID HE THOUGH THIS MEANT THAT THE UNHCR WOULD MEET CARE AND MAINTENCE COSTS FOR REFUGEES PICKED UP AT SEA FROM THE TIME OF THE RESCUE, INSTEAD OF ONLY MEETING ONSHORE COSTS AS AT PRESENT, HE WILL CHECK THIS WITH HIS AUTHORITIES. HE WOULD NOT BE DRAWN ON WHETHER RETROSPECTIVE CLAIMS MIGHT BE ENTERTAINED. WE ALSO FLOATED THE IDEA THAT REFUGEES RESCUED AT SEA SHOULD BE TRANSFERRED AT THE EARLIEST MOMENT TO INTERNATIONAL PROCESSING CENTRES RATHER THAN REMAINING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FLAG STATE OR THE STATE OF FIRST ASYLUM. WE ARGUED THAT THIS WOULD PREVENT QUEUE-JUMPING AND REDUCE THE TEMPTATION FOR MASTERS TO AVOID PICKING UP REFUGEES. CLARENCE TOOK NOTE BUT DID NOT COMMIT HIMSELF..
CLEAR
8. WE FORMED THE IMPRESSION THAT THE UNHCR LACKED ANY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUE INVOLVED AND IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT A MEETING OF THE KIND THEYR CURRENTLY ENVISAGE WILL PRODUCE USEFUL RESULTS. THE MEETING SHOULD, IN OUR VIEW, PAY AT LEAST AS MUCH ATTENTION TO PASSIVE AS TO ACTIVE RESCUE WORK.
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/9.GRATEFUL