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FM HANOI
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 74
OF 13050OZ FEBRUARY 89
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA
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TOP COPY DIST
46
103562
MDHIAN 2032
H
1. MY LONG AWAITED CALL ON VU HOAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TOOK PLACE LATE ON FRIDAY 10 FEBRUARY.
2. WE HAD NO TROUBLE AGREEING THAT IT WAS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD THAT THE MOU HAD BEEN SIGNED AND THAT WE BOTH HOPED THAT THINGS WOULD NOW MOVE SWIFTLY AND SMOOTHLY. HE SAW NO DIFFICULTY IN
PRINCIPLE WITH THE DATES OF 2-3 MARCH FOR THE FIRST BATCH OF RETURNEES (YOUR TELNO 49) AND SAW THE LOGIC OF GETTING THEM BACK BEFORE THE PREP-
CON IN KUALA LUMPUR. HE SAID THAT A TEAM
FROM THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT WAS SETTING OUT WITHIN A DAY OR SO
TO THE PROVINCES CONCERNED TO DISCUSS CONCRETE ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
3. WE RAN INTO DIFFICULTY WHEN I RAISED THE RETURN OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO WERE NOT VOLUNTEERS (MY TELNO 71). I EXPLAINED
THAT MR THACH'S BALD REASSERTION IN THE THAMES TV INTERVIEW OF
THE LINE THAT NON VOLUNTEERS WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED BACK HAD CAUSED US SOME CONCERN, BEING AT VARIANCE WITH WHAT WAS AGREED IN THE LONDON TALKS IN OCTOBER. MR KHOAN SAID THAT THE POLICY WAS AS STATED BY HIS MINISTER. IN HIS OWN VIEW, WHAT HAD BEEN AGREED IN LONDON WAS THE RETURN OF VOLUNTEERS, A HOPE THAT THE FLOW OF RETURNEES WOULD SNOWBALL AND AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THE THORNY QUESTION OF NON-VOLUNTEERS WOULD BE LEFT FOR THE FUTURE. HE DID NOT DISSENT WHEN I SAID THAT AT THE VERY LEAST THERE HAD BEEN AGREEMENT NOT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM OF NON-VOLUNTEERS, BUT HE WAS NOT PREPARED TO ACCEPT MY SUGGESTION THAT THE DOOR TO THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN LEFT VERY FIRMLY OPEN. I COMMENDED THE
THAMES TV FILM TO HIM (AND PROMISED TO SEND HIM A COPY) AND DREW
HIS ATTENTION TO THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE INTERVIEWS WITH YOURSELF AND MR THACH. YOUR REFUSAL TO BE DRAWN ON THE QUESTION OF THE NON-VOLUNTEERS CONTRASTED STARKLY WITH MR THACH'S REITER-
ATION OF STANDING VIETNAMESE POLICY. I LEFT MR KHOAN IN NO DOUBT ABOUT OUR FEELING OF CONCERN.
4. IN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION, MR KHOAN SAID THAT HE HAD JUST SEEN
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