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INFO IMMEDIATE HANOI, UKMIS GENEVA, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR
INFO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE, PEKING
013410
MDHOAN 6538
FROM MCLAREN
MY FOURTH IPT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: TALKS WITH
VIETNAM
DAY TWO: OVERALL COMMENT
GENERAL
1.
GOOD ATMOSPHERE. VU KHOAN WAS EVIDENTLY UNDER INSTRUCTIONS TO REACH AGREEMENT IF AT ALL POSSIBLE AND HAD DISCSRETION TO NEGOTIATE FLEXIBLY ON MATTERS OF WORDING.
COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT
2.
THE AGREED LANGUAGE PROTECTS OUR POSITION OF PRINCIPLE THROUGH ITS CLEAR REFERENCE TO THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ALL ARRIVALS AFTER 15 JUNE WHO DO NOT QUALIFY FOR
RESETTLEMENT.
IT ALSO MEETS OUR IMMEDIATES REQUIREMENTS TO GET RETURNS MOVING AND
TO ENCOURAGE AS MANY VOLUNTEERS AS POSSIBLE.
THE VIETNAMESE MAY OF COURSE ATTEMPT TO ARGUE
THAT WE CAN LEAVE THINGS AT THAT. THERE HAVE HOWEVER
BEEN SOME HINTS THAT THEY RECOGNISE THAT THEY WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO TACKLE NON-VOLUNTEERS. WE WILL HAVE TO DEVISE WAYS OF MAKING
THAT PALATIBLE TO THEM.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
3. IT WAS QUITE CLEAR THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE GOT AGREEMENT WITHOUT A COMMITMENT, AT LEAST IN PRINCIPLE, TO A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION BY THE BRITISH SIDE. KHOAN CONFIRMED THAT VIETNAMESE ASPIRATIONS IN THIS AREA ARE PRETTY MODEST.
THE WORDING USED DDOES NOT REFER EXPLICITLY TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND I HOPE THAT THAT WILL MINIMISE ANY DIFFICULITES
WITH LEGCO.
FIRST RETURNEES
4. THE MAIN POINT AT ISSUE WAS THE STRONG VIETNAMESE PRESSURE FOR A VISIT BY THEIR QUOTE TECHNICAL PERSONNEL UNQUOTE TO HONG KONG. I RESERVED OUR POSITION ON THIS AND BARNES AND I
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