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CONFIDENTIAL
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MDHIAN 3982
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2435
OF 201115Z JULY 89
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA
40
OUR TELNO. 2330 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE : FINANCE
1. WE MET WITH VAN LEEUWEN, UNHCR CHARGE DE MISSION, YESTERDAY (19 JULY), AND RAISED THE QUESTION OF REIMBURSEMENT OF HKG EXPENDITURE THIS YEAR.
2. WE DREW ON UKMIS GENEVA TELNO. 443, I.E. THAT THE JAPANESE HAD NOW CONFIRMED THAT HONG KONG SHOULD BE GIVEN PRIORITY FOR THEIR DONATION OF US DOLLARS 11 MILLION. WE SUGGESTED TO VAN LEEUWEN THAT
UNHCR SHOULD NOW BE IN A POSITION TO CONCLUDE THEIR NORMAL REIMBURSEMENT AGREEMENT WITH US AND TO REIMBURSE US THEIR SHARE OF EXPENDITURE AT LEAST FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR. VAN LEEUWEN SAID THAT ON THE BASIS OF THE USUAL FORMULA, I.E. QUOTE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS UNQUOTE, HE SAW NO REASON WHY UNHCR SHOULD NOT CONCLUDE THE NORMAL REIMBURSEMENT AGREEMENT FOR THIS YEAR. HOWEVER, AS REGARDS PAYMENT, HE HAD NOT YET RECEIVED CONFIRMATION FROM GENEVA OF ANY ADDITIONAL ALLOCATIONS TO HIS OFFICE AS A RESULT OF THE JAPANESE DONATION, AND COULD NOT THEREFORE MAKE ANY COMMITMENT. HE UNDERTOOK TO SEEK CONFIRMATION FROM GENEVA ABOUT THE JAPANESE DONATION. ASSUMING THAT GENEVA CONFIRMED THAT FUNDS WERE AVAILABLE, HE WOULD STILL NEED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS TO WORK OUT HOW MUCH WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR REIMBURSING HKG.
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3 ALTHOUGH THE MEETING WAS INCONCLUSIVE, WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE TAKEN THE ISSUE AS FAR AS WE CAN AT THIS STAGE. WE WILL PRESS VAN
LEEUWEN FOR AN EARLY, DEFINITIVE REPLY.
4. WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL IF UKMIS GENEVA COULD APPROACH UNHCR GENEVA FOR CONFIRMATION THAT THEY WILL INFORM UNHCR (HONG KONG) THAT
ADDITIONAL FUNDS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE FROM THE JAPANESE DONATION.
WILSON
YYYY