HUMB 020116 RESTRICTED
2 7 JAN 1988
HIST.
M2611
1) My 2) Mr laul
RECORD OF A CALLION LORD GLENARTHUR BY FRENCH STATE SECRETARY FOR
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, M BARIANI IN THE FCO ON 20 JANUARY 1987
W261,
ar
Present
Lord Glenarthur
Mr Reddaway (PS/Lord Glenarthur)
Mr Barrow, WED
M Barlanı
HE Vicomte Luc de La Barre
de Nanteuil
M Castella, Special Adviser
M Malzeret, Special Adviser
Vietnamese Refugees in Hong Kong
1.
M Bariani recalled his trip to Hong Kong in July 1987 and the
special quota of 50 refugees accepted by France. He was not hopeful
that more could be taken: France had taken 130,000 refugees from South
East Asia since 1976. He believed that many of those now in Hong Kong
had fled for economic rather than political reasons. Lord Glenarthur
agreed that this was true in some cases. But the problem needed to be
tackled. International efforts were essential, in particular in terms
of putting pressure on the Vietnamese government to remove the causes of
the exodus. He hoped that France might still take more refugees: Hong
Kong was involved only because people were fleeing from former French
territories.
Cambodia
2.
M Barianı believed that Vietnam would not withdraw unless she felt
confident in the new Cambodian government; otherwise she would feel hemmed in by hostile powers. The Sihanouk/Hun Sen talks were a positive start and economic pressures would probably force Vietnam to compromise
in the longer term. Lord Glenarthur explained that he saw no evidence
of Soviet pressure on Vietnam. M Barianı said that an international
conference might have a role in the future but not yet. He welcomed the
possibility of UK discussions with Sihanouk while accepting that this
was not an initiative.
TAJAFU
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