1
FOR WEAFFRESON, SECRETARY FOR SECURITY
FROM WOODHOUSE IN NEW YORK
24 OCT 85
GEN/189
Атолье Walker
COPIED TO: HK GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN WASHINGTON (PL COPY TO
GOMERSALL AT BRITISH EMBASSY), BRUSSELS, GENEVA (PL COPY TO WALKER AT UKMIS) LONDON (PL COPY TO LEEKS AT FCO)
MEETING IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT
ON 23 OCTOBER I MET JAMES PURCELL, DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU FOR REFUGEE PROGRAMMES (AND AN ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE) TOGETHER WITH HIS TWO DEPUTIES, ROBERT FUNSETH (WHO DEALS WITH MANAGEMENT MATTERS) AND RICHARD ENGLISH (WHO DEALS WITH THE POLITICS OF REFUGEES AND MORE CLOSELY WITH THE NUMBERS).
THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE 1986 GLOBAL US INTAKE HAD BEEN DECIDED AND IT WAS DOWN ON THIS YEAR. THEY SAID THAT THE REGIONAL INTAKE HAD BEEN REDUCED FROM 42,000 THIS YEAR TO 37,000 NEXT YEAR (IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MEETING ENGLISH TOLD ME THAT 21,000 OF THIS 37,000 WERE ALREADY QUOTE IN THE PIPELINE UNQUOTE IN REFUGEE PROCESSING CENTRES).
3.
PURCELL SAID SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE US WOULD CONTINUE TO HELP HONG KONG. HE WELCOMED THE UK INITIATIVE BUT POINTED OUT THAT THE NUMBERS INVOLVED WERE SMALL. THEY PRESSED ME ON THE FURTHER LIMITED NUMBERS AND I GATHERED THAT THERE WAS A DEGREE OF CYNICISM REGARDING
A)
B)
4.
HMG'S NERVE IN ASKING FOR AN INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE WHEN OTHERS HAD BEEN DOING SO MUCH FOR 50 LONG, AND
HMG'S SINCERITY IN PROVIDING FURTHER LIMITED RESETTLEMENT PLACES.
AND IN
NEVERTHELESS THEY SAID THAT THE BRITISH DECISION, PARTICULAR THE DECISION TO TAKE 40 PER MONTH, WOULD TAKE THE HEAT OFF THOSE TRYING TO DO MORE FOR HONG KONG.
5.
WE DISCUSSED DURABLE SOLUTIONS AT SOME LENGTH AND I MADE IT CLEAR THAT HONG KONG WAS VERY KEEN TO FIND SUCH SOLUTIONS.
I EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE VERY INTERESTED IN THE THAI REPATRIATION SCHEME, BUT I POINTED OUT THAT IT COULD NOT BE APPLIED TO HONG KONG. I EXPLAINED OUR CONSIDERABLE DIFFICULTIES WE HAD ENCOUNTERED IN RETURNING THE LIMITED NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY DEPARTURE CASES FROM HONG KONG (FOR SIMON SIT, GRATEFUL IF I COULD HAVE DETAILS OF ALL OF THESE CASES INCLUDING TIME TAKEN TO RETURN THEM).
5. ALL THREE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HONG KONG WAS IN A UNIQUE POSITION. THEY REFERRED TO A CONFERENCE IN SAN REMO, ITALY WHICH HAD BEEN CONVENED BY MUSALLI OF UNHCR, AT WHICH THE VIETNAMESE HAD SHOWN THEMSELVES TO BE INTRANSIGENT (FOR LEEKS, HAVE YOU HEARD OF THIS?)
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RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
OCS*
INDEX
28 OCT 1985
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