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3.
Mr Patten believes that the UNHCR role is apsolutely crucial to any
chance of presenting our policy in a way which will enable us to carry it
out. He is particularly concerned that the UNHCR protocol for repatriation
should be brought centre stage as soon as possible. Mr Patten is visiting
Geneva this week for talks with the UNHCR (among others), and will obviously
seek more information about progress made by the UNHCR in drawing up the
protocol.
4.
Mr Patten hopes that this issue can be kept under careful and regular
Ministerial scrutiny. We have shown keen awareness of the political
difficulties it has caused in Hong Kong; he believes that the political
difficulties that it could cause in Britain are no less acute and rather
more significant.
Myles. A. Wickstead
M A Wickstead
17 October 1988
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