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6. THE NEW ZEALAND REPRESENTATIVES EXPLAINED THAT THEIR QUOTA WAS FIXED AND RELATED MAINLY TO FAMILY REUNION. AS NEW ZEALAND HAD TAKEN A LARGE NUMBER OF REFUGEES FROM THAILAND, MOST OF THE FAMILY REUNION CASES IN PRACTICE ALSO CAME FROM THAILAND. THE COMMISSIONER SAID HE WOULD PROBABLY SEEK A SMALL QUOTA FOR HONG KONG WHICH WOULD NOT ENDANGER THE OVERALL FIGURE BUT WOULD ENSURE THAT HONG KONG RECEIVED A SMALL PROPORTION OF NEW ZEALANDS INTAKE. WE SUGGEST THAT THIS BE FOLLOWED UP IN WELLINGTON.
7. THE AUSTRALIANS WERE CAUTIOUS AND WANTED TO KNOW WHEN THE BRITISH OFFTAKE WOULD BEGIN. WE EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD NO INFORMATION ON THIS POINT. THE AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVES EXPLAINED THAT THE MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC AFFAIRS WOULD BE VISITING HONG KONG NEXT WEEK AND HE WOULD LIKE TO VISIT A REFUGEE CAMP (JUBILEE) AND MEET THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY. THEY THOUGHT THE MINISTER
MIGHT THEN BE ABLE TO GIVE US AN INDICATION OF WHAT THE
AUSTRALIAN RESPONSE MIGHT BE.
8. THE SWEDISH REPRESENTATIVES POINTED OUT THAT ALL OF THEIR RESETTLEMENT WAS CHANNELLED THROUGH THE UNHCR. WE CONCLUDE THAT WE SHALL HAVE TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE WITH THE SWEDISH DELEGATION TO EXCOM IN GENEVA IN CONJUNCTION WITH UNHCR OFFICIALS.
9. THE AUSTRIAN REPRESENTATIVE WAS SYMPATHETIC BUT POINTED TO VIENNA'S PRESSING REFUGEE PROSLEM WHICH EMINATE IN THE MAIN FROM EASTERN EUROPE. HE POINTED OUT THAT HE HAD SOUGHT A RESPONSE FROM VIENNA ON OUR RECENT PLEA TO TAKE MORE REFUGEES FROM THE OPEN CENTRES AND HAD JUST RECEIVED A NEGATIVE REPLY.
10. THE AMERICANS WERE HELPFUL AND WELCOMED THE BRITISH INITIATIVE. THEY POINTED OUT THAT UNER THEIR PRESENT RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA ADDITIONAL NUMBER FOR HONG KONG WOULD BRING NO MATERIAL BENEFIT BECAUSE THERE WERE FEW REMAINING REFUGEES WHO WERE ELIGIBLE. WE SUGGESTED THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE RULES BE RELAXED IN ORDER TO BRING MORE OF HONG KONG'S REFUGEES INTO THEIR RESETTLEMENT NEXT. THEY WILLINGLY AGREED TO SEEK THE VIEWS OF WASHINGTON ON THIS PROPOSAL. THEY WERE ALSO CONCIOUS OF THE BENEFIT OF AN EARLY
RESPONSE TO HONG KONG.
11. THE FRENCH REPRESENTATIVES EXPLAINED THAT THEIR RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA COVERED FAMILY REUNION, FRENCH SPEAKERS AND HUMANITARIAN CASES. IN RESPONSE TO OUR SUGGESTION THAT THERE WERE 90 FAMILY REUNION CASES IN HONG KONG AND 46 FRENCH SPEAKERS, THEY POINTED OUT THAT MANY MORE REFUGEES MIGHT FILL THEIR CRITERIA THAN THEY WERE ABLE TO ACCEPT. NEVERTHELESS THEY AGREED TO PASS ON OUR REQUEST, IN PARTICULAR THE FAMILY REUNION CASES, TO PARIS. THEY ALSO ASKED TO MEET AGAIN AFTER EXCOM TO DISCUSS DEVELOPEMENTS.
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