5.

Our efforts

in

main resettlement

CONFIDENTIAL

DSR 11C

recent months to explore with the

countries and UNHCR whether a consensus

might be possible on a joint approach

to the Vietnamese

have made little headway.

The resettlement

countries

themselves seem far from

clear on where the

way

ahead

lies.

Their

representatives

in

Geneva recently met

jointly with M. Hocké in an effort to

to focus his attention

on the problem and to encourage him, if at all possible,

to take

lead a

in

formulating

a

new

approach on

the

Vietnamese problem.

Your and our recent discussions with

M.

Hocké I think indicated that the

UNHCR is moving

gradually

towards

position where a

they are

prepared

to

recognise

refugees

a

new

group

of

migrants

who

are

not

true

in

the terms of the Convention

and Protocol.

Our next step,

thoughts, and

must

be to

then

to

persuade him

examine with him,

to refine

these

in

concert

with

solutions

the resettlement countries, what

beyond continuing resettlement

realistic

and durable

can

be

identified

this for

category new

of migrants.

It

will

not

prove easy

in the Vietnamese

context to

focus UNHCR

minds

on non-resettlement

but solutions,

I

see

no

alternative.

I believe it is

in essential

political

terms

that

we carry

UNHCR

with

us unequivocally

in

whatever new strategy we eventually formulate.

6.

I have explained

to

current you my

views on

future

strategy at

some length because

I recognise the strength

of your

argument

that

we

could not

invite colleagues

to

accept

linking it

further a

UK resettlement

commitment

without

to some

wider approach

to address

the problem

CONFIDENTIAL

Share This Page