CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 570
CONFIDENTIAL
HKB
243 15
RECEIVEL
26 FEB 1990
DESK
TC COPY O LIST ?
INDEX
144633
MDHIAN 7023
•
OF 141136Z FEBRUARY 90
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI, KUALA LUMPUR
77
CORRECTED VERSION (PARAGRAPH 4)
KUALA LUMPUR/FOR MR MAUDE'S PARTY
YOUR TELNO 60: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: REGIONAL APPROACH
WE SHARE YOUR ASSESSMENT IN PARAGRAPH 3 OF TUR THAT THE VIETNAMESE WILL PROBABLY RESIST THE REGIONAL APPROACH, PREFERRING TO DEAL WITH US AND THE OTHER FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES ON A BILATERAL BASIS. NEVERTHELESS, THERE ARE CERTAINLY ADVANTAGES IN TRYING TO ESTABLISH A COMMON POSITION WITH THE ASEAN FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES AND IN WORKING TOWARDS A REGIONAL APPROACH. IF PROGRESS CAN BE MADE DURING THE KUCHING MEETING, MR MAUDE'S HAND WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE STRENGTHENED. THE INITIAL REACTION FROM ASEAN CAPITALS IS HOWEVER
NOT ENCOURAGING.
2.
OUR CONCERN ABOUT THE REGIONAL APPROACH IS THAT IT MIGHT TAKE SOME CONSIDERABLE TIME TO COME TO FRUITION. THE ASEAN REACTION THUS FAR REINFORCES THIS VIEW. GIVEN THE URGENCY OF THE SITUATION HERE, WE MUST PERSIST IN OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE EARLY PROGRESS WITH THE VIETNAMESE ON MANDATORY REPATRIATION, WHETHER ON A BILATERAL OR REGIONAL BASIS. WHETHER THERE ARE PROSPECTS FOR A SECOND MANDATORY FLIGHT UNDER REGIONAL ARRANGEMENTS WILL BECOME CLEARER FOLLOWING
THE KUCHING MEETING AND WE CAN TAKE A FINAL DECISION AT THAT STAGE ON WHETHER TO PURSUE THAT ROUTE. BUT SEEN FROM HERE THE CHANCES OF RAPID BACKING FOR A FURTHER FLIGHT ARE VERY SLIM, AND WE MUST NOW PURSUE THE BILATERAL APPROACH AS AN OBJECTIVE IN ITS OWN RIGHT. EVEN IF PROGRESS PROVES TO BE SLOW, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD BE SEEN TO BE PURSUING THIS OBJECTIVE: FIRSTLY, BECAUSE IT DOES OFFER A SOLUTION, AND SECONDLY BECAUSE WE OTHERWISE HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW HERE AS A FINITE SOLUTION TO WHICH WE ARE WORKING.
3. ONE FURTHER COMMENT ON THE REGIONAL APPROACH. WE ACCEPT THE LOGIC OF TRYING TO BASE A REGIONAL CONSENSUS ON THE DRAFT SC3 (2) DOCUMENT BUT HAVE SOME DIFFICULTY WITH A 1 JULY MORATORIUM. OUR POSITION AT GENEVA WAS THAT THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A MORATORIUM. WE WERE PREPARED TO CONCEDE 1 APRIL, AND LATER 1 JULY, TO FACILITATE A CONSENSUS. THAT CONSENSUS WAS NEVER FINALLY ACHIEVED. IN THE
1
PAGE CONFIDENTIAL
80