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COMMITTEE OF OUR NEW COMMITMENT TO RESETTLE A FURTHER 1,000 FROM HONG KONG OVER 2 TO 3 YEARS. WE WERE NOT PRESSED TO DO MORE, BUT THE AMERICANS MADE CLEAR PRIVATELY THAT THEY WOULD EXPECT FURTHER UK COMMITMENTS EITHER BEFORE OR AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. UNHCR SAID IT WOULD BE APPROACHING THOSE NOT REPRESENTED AT THE MEETING ABOUT FIRM RESETTLEMENT PLEDGES AND CALLED FOR INCREASED COMMITMENTS FROM ALL POTENTIAL RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES.
3. ALTHOUGH THE DETAILS WERE SPARSE, THE SUB-COMMITTEE AGREED THAT INCREASED FLEXIBILITY IN THE APPLICATION OF RESETTLEMENT CRITERIA WAS REQUIRED TO ACCOMMODATE PREVIOUSLY REJECTED, INELIGIBLE OR PROBLEMATIC CASES, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON LONG-STAYERS, UNACCOMPANIED MINORS (WHERE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION WAS NOT THE BEST SOLUTION) AND MEDICAL CASES.
4. THE SUB-COMMITTEE AGREED THAT SIMILAR PROVISIONS WERE NEEDED FOR THE SCREENED-IN, INTERLEAVING THEIR RESETTLEMENT WITH THE PRE CUT-OFF DATE CASELOAD TO AVOID FAST-TRACK PROCESSING. A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES EMPHASISED THE NEED TO OBSERVE SCRUPULOUSLY UNHCR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA WITH THE CLEAR OBJECTIVE OF MINIMISING THE POST CUT-OFF DATE RESETTLEMENT BURDEN. (THE AMERICANS TOLD US PRIVATELY (PLEASE PROTECT) THAT THEY WERE CONCERNED THAT THE ASEAN COUNTRIES MIGHT BE ANXIOUS TO SCREEN-IN AS MANY CASES AS POSSIBLE TO AVOID BEING SADDLED FOR AN INDEFINITE PERIOD WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF SCREENED-OUT WHO REFUSED TO VOLUNTEER FOR RETURN TO VIETNAM. THEY THEREFORE FAVOURED STRICT APPLICATION OF UNHCR GUIDELINES.) UNHCR AGREED WITH STRICT APPLICATION OF THE GUIDELINES, AS THIS WAS THE ONLY MEANS OF AVOIDING THE PROBLEM OF DOUBLE-SCREENING, ALTHOUGH NATIONAL LEGISLATION WOULD CONTINUE TO REQUIRE A FORM OF DOUBLE PROCESSING.
5. RASRO/DISERO: WE MADE THE POINT ABOUT MAINTAINING CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS UNTIL AN ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE SET OF COMPREHENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS WAS IN PLACE. THE MAJORITY HOWEVER FAVOURED REMOVING THIS POTENTIAL PULL FACTOR AND FAST TRACK TO RESETLEMENT, WHICH UNDERMINED THE PROVISIONS OF CPA. AT A SUBSEQUENT WORKING GROUP ON 18 APRIL, FURTHER DISCUSSION PRODUCED A COMPROMISE PROPOSAL WHICH RETAINED THE HUMANITARIAN PRACTICE OF RESCUE AT SEA. HANSON WILL DISCUSS THE DETAILS ON RETURN TO HONG KONG. WE INDICATED OUR READINESS TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSAL FAVOURABLY.
6. IN AN ILL-JUDGED MOVE, THE US DELEGATION BEFORE THE MEETING CIRCULATED TO THAILAND, MALAYSIA AND UK A SHORT NOTE (COPY TO HONG KONG BY HAND OF HANSON) ON THE QUESTION OF ACCESS TO NEW ARRIVALS IN
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