R Chatterjie Esq
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3
20 December 1979
11.
The resolution on the report of the Secretary-General on the Geneva meeting (L.37) was cosponsored by Argentina, Indonesia, Jordan, Lesotho, Liberia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Yugoslavia, The UK decided in the end not to cosponsor the draft because the Thais watered it down too far to accommodate the Vietnamese The UK put forward amendments to operative paragraphs 3 and 5 to include reference to territories like Hong Kong as instructed. The amendment to paragraph 5 was sub-amended acceptably by Australia. Vietnam objected to these amendments at length. This was probably at least partly an attempt to embarrass China. In the end at an informal meeting Vietnam was persuaded to not press its objections. The resolution as amended was then adopted by consensus.
In explanation of vote, Vietnam said that the UK amendment had intro- duced "new elements" into the resolution. The UK (Edis) refuted this.
12. In Plenary (A/34/724 and A/34/PV.82) L. 35, L.36 and L.37 were adopted by consensus as resolutions 34/60, 34/61 and 34/62 respectively.
Comment
13. The main interest for us was the follow-up to the Geneva meeting on South East Asia. The outcome was satisfactory in that pressure on Vietnam was sufficiently maintained and this renewed their undertaking not to resume mass expulsions. We are likely to hear more about their refugee problems from the Africans.
ات لك
Your ! ever June
JF Dutton (Miss)
butter
Cc:
DR Snoxell Esq UKMIS GENEVA
TCS Stitt Esq SEAD, FCO
Political Adviser HONG KONG
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