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4. MCLAREN CONTINUED THAT WE UNDERSTOOD AMERICAN CONCERNS AND WISHED TO WORK WITH THE ADMINISTRATION IF WE POSSIBLY COULD. IN PARTICULAR WE WANTED THE VOLUNTARY PROGRAMME TO WORK, BUT IN VIEW OF THE QUOTE COUNTER-COUNSELLING UNQUOTE TAKING PLACE IN THE
CAMPS AND OTHER PRESSURES ON POTENTIAL VOLUNTEERS, WE HAD REAL DOUBTS THAT VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION ALONE WOULD PROVIDE THE ANSWER. WE HAD NO WISH TO UNDERMINE THE CPA, AND NO DECISIONS HAD BEEN TAKEN ON FURTHER MEASURES. IN RESPONSE TO AMERICAN CONCERNS, WE WOULD TRY TO HOLD OFF TAKING ANY SUCH MEASURES UNTIL AFTER THE OCTOBER STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING. BUT IF WE THEN FOUND IT NECESSARY TO MOVE ON TO THE REPATRIATION OF THOSE WHO WERE NOT STRICTLY VOLUNTEERS, WE LOOKED FOR UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ADMINISTRATION, ON THE GROUNDS THAT HONG KONG WAS A SPECIAL CASE GIVEN THAT SCREENING BEGAN THERE IN JUNE 1988, AND THAT NO PRECEDENT WOULD THEREFORE BE SET FOR THAILAND AND MALAYSIA.
5. THE AMERICANS MADE CLEAR THAT THEY WELL UNDERSTOOD THE PRESS-
URES ON HONG KONG, AND THE POINT WAS MADE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THAT AS A RESULT OF THE DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN US OVER RECENT WEEKS THERE
WAS NOW MUCH LESS CONFUSION ABOUT THE FACTUAL POSITION. BUT THE
AMERICANS STRESSED REPEATEDLY THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF THE CPA. THEY WERE VERY CONCERNED THAT A MOVE TO
INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION BY HONG KONG WOULD PRECIPITATE ACTION BY
OTHERS THAT WOULD DAMAGE THE CPA. IT WAS THEREFORE VITAL TO
DEMONSTRATE THAT THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROVISIONS OF THE CPA
HAD BEEN GIVEN A FULL CHANCE TO WORK.
6.
IN THAT CONNECTION, SEITZ SAID THAT, AS AGREED DURING HASWELL'S VISIT HERE, THE US HAD HELD DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WITH THE UNHCR ABOUT THEIR ROLE IN COUNSELLING IN HONG KONG. HE
HANDED OVER A NOTE SETTING OUT THE RESULTS OF THIS. TEXT IN MIFT.
IT WAS CLEAR THAT UNHCR'S PERFORMANCE COULD BE IMPROVED QUICKLY
IN A NUMBER OF AREAS. THE ADMINISTRATION HOPED THAT ONCE THOSE
DEFICIENCIES WERE CORRECTED, THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASING FLOW OF VOLUNTEERS.
7. THE AMERICANS PRODUCED A NUMBER OF OTHER ARGUMENTS FOR HOPING
THAT A BEEFED-UP UNHCR EFFORT WOULD HELP CREATE A BREATHING SPACE
FOR HONG KONG. FUNSETH POINTED OUT THAT UNLIKE OUR BILATERAL
SCREENING PROGRAMME POST-JUNE 1988, THE CPA PROVIDED A
MULTILATERAL FRAMEWORK IN WHICH MORE LEVERAGE COULD BE BROUGHT TO
BEAR. HE ADDED THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE COULD ALSO URGE
THE VIETNAMESE TO EXPAND THEIR CAPACITY TO PROCESS POTENTIAL
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