CONFIDENTIAL
the Geneva conference. There will be calls for special contributions to a proposed fund for resettlement in developing countries, and for transit centres. We may well need to seek additional funds before the end of the financial year, from ODA.
iii) Transit centres. We should continue to put forcefully our strong objections to transit centres in Vietnam, but we should be ready to cooperate with UNHCR and ASEAN Governments in the establishment of transit centres in the Philippines and Indonesia. We might consider the use of voluntary agencies and VSOS as a means of supplementing Government help, although this too would probably mean additional ODA funding.
iv) Shipping. Developments in Geneva may mean that this is not going to be as serious a problem as we expected, but British shipping firms will be looking for clear guidance for the future and it would be helpful not only with British shipping firms but also with the UNHCR if we could give a firm under- taking that as a last resort any refugees picked up by British ships will be accepted in this country over and above our current quota of 10,000.
v)
Vietnam's agreement with the UNHCR. We need to ensure that movements from Vietnam do not prejudice resettlement from countries of first asylum.
b) Pressure on Vietnam. This implies action under the following headings:-
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i) UN.
We should try to ensure that the report on the Vietnamese refugee situation and debate on it is high on the agenda of the UN General Assembly in the autumn. There would be no advantage in Security Council action at present over refugees from Vietnam. The Secretary of State agreed last week that we should not seek such action unless we could be sure of maximum ASEAN and non- aligned support, and the ASEAN countries want to wait and see if the Vietnamese live up to their
assurances.
We
ii) Aid to Vietnam. We must try to ensure that aid to Vietnam continues to be restricted. should continue to discuss this with the Japanese and the Scandinavians, pointing out that any relaxation over aid could lead the Vietnamese to think that they were being allowed off the hook. We must watch aid through international agencies,
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