CONFIDENTIAL
•
05 1
MDHIAN 356
OUT AGAIN THAT THIS IN ITSELF WOULD NOT PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION. KLINGENBERG AGREED. HE THOUGHT THAT IT MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO INTRODUCE INCENTIVES SUCH AS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. THE NORDIC COUNTRIES MIGHT BE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS BUT UNHCR WOULD NEED TO PUT TOGETHER A PACKAGE AND APPEAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
5. THE NORDICS WILL MEET AGAIN IS STOCKHOLM ON 6/7 JUNE TO ASSESS ANNOUNCED COMMITMENTS TO ACCEPT REFUGEES. THEY WILL PROBABLY THEN PLEDGE COLLECTIVE SUPPORT ON THE BASIS OF AN EQUITABLE SHARING OF RESPONSIBILITY. KLINGBERG SAID THEY WOULD LOOK FOR AS BROAD A SCALE OF SUPPORT AS POSSIBLE, NOT JUST FROM THE TRADITIONAL RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. THE NORDICS THOUGHT THAT ANY COUNTRY PARTICIPATING IN THE ICIR SHOULD BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT REFUGEES. THEY HOPED THAT THE USA, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA WOULD BE WILLING TO ACCEPT THE MAJORITY IN CAMPS BEFORE THE 14 MARCH CUT-OFF.
6. THERE WERE TWO OTHER NORDIC CONCERNS. FIRST, THOSE CASES WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN REJECTED BY THE MAJOR RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES. THE NORDICS FEARED THEY WOULD BE LEFT TO ACCEPT PEOPLE WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN SCREENED OUT BY OTHERS. SECONDLY, THEY WERE CONCERNED AS TO HOW THE RASRO COMMITMENT TO ACCEPT FOR RESETTLEMENT ANY REFUGEES PICKED UP AT SEA COULD BE SQUARED WITH THE CONCEPT OF SCREENING OUT.
7. KLINGENBERG SAID THAT THE LEVEL OF DANISH ATTENDANCE AT THE ICIR HAD NOT YET BEEN DECIDED. MUCH WILL DEPEND ON PROGRESS IN THE INTERVENING WEEKS. A DANISH MINISTER MAY ATTEND IF SUCCESS SEEMS LIKELY. THE FOREIGN MINISTER HAS PENCILLED IN POSSIBLE ATTENDANCE ON 14 JUNE, THE SECOND DAY OF THE CONFERENCE. THE PROBABLE ATTENDANCE FROM OTHER NORDIC COUNTRIES IS :
NORWAY STATE SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF JUSTICE,
-
SWEDEN STATE SECRETARY, MINSTRY OF LABOUR,
FINLAND
C
MINISTER FOR SOCIAL AFFAIRS OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
THE NORDIC INTENTION IS TO HAVE A JOINT STATEMENT AT THE ICIR, PROBABLY DELIVERED BY NORWAY. THIS COULD BE FOLLOWED BY SEPARATE
NATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS DEPENDING ON DEVELOPMENTS.
8. FINALLY, KLINGENBERG SAID THAT A DANISH TEAM WAS CURRENTLY IN HONG KONG TO IDENTIFY THE 50 BOAT PEOPLE WHOM THEY HAD UNDERTAKEN TO
ACCEPT THIS YEAR. THE TEAM SHOULD RETURN TO DENMARK IN THE MIDDLE OF MAY. KLINGENBERG HOPED THAT DECISIONS COULD THEN BE MADE WITH A VIEW
2
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL