repatriating about 20 Tamils a month through their general scheme but felt that applications from Tamils were being inhibited by
public knowledge that a specific scheme with enhanced incentives
was under discussion. Mr Arbenz's advice was to make any enhancement low key. I intervened to say that whilst the caution was understandable, it was inevitable that as time went on more
and more countries would settle into unilateral solutions of
whatever character, appropriate to their particular problems and the prospect of a joint solution would become increasingly irrelevant. I was happy to keep talking but reserved the UK government's right to do as it saw fit. Mr Arbenz was
unpeturbed: he saw no need to harmonise every return, just to avoid the worst discrepancies. He proposed a further project group meeting in late March/early April. I have the impression this initiative is losing its sense of direction and will prepare a submission on the subject shortly.
UNACCOMPANIED MINORS
A
14. The subject had been placed on the agenda at the request of Sweden who detect a substantial problem. Germany agreed, as did
Switzerland who have received about 50 under 14s in the last
month. Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands had moderate problems
in this area; for other countries it was insignificant. It was
generally agreed that Iranians, Ethiopians and Tamils were most frequently represented; Palestinians and Somalis were also to the
fore. The aim was often to establish an "anchor" so that parents
and other family members could follow later. Faced with the wide
divergence of experience, UNHCR undertook to prepare a paper for the Vienna consultation with proposals on practice.
VIENNA CONSULTATION
15.
This is now scheduled for 19-21 June. There was
considerable discussion about potential additional participants. It was agreed with little opposition that the USA should be
invited, given the prominence Eastern Europe will have on the agenda; with rather more objection it was also agreed that
Finland should attend.
(Doubts were not about the Finns as such