TNAG-0365-FCO40-411-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-international-organisations-1973 — Page 46

UN 8/4

T W Keeble Esq UN Dept FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

UNITED KINGDOM MISSION 37-39 rue de Vermont, 1202 GENEVA Telex: 22956

Telegrams: Prodrome, Geneva Telephone: 34.38.00, 33.23.85

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Ring Kees

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7/8

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No. 51 - 6 AUG 1973

1 August 1973

34

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Dear Tom,

UNHCR OPERATIONS IN HONG KONG

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PHIL

1. Thank you for sending me a copy of your letter of 24 July to Warren Pinegar.

2. We learn at the end of last week from ICEM that a meeting had been held between themselves, the UNHCR and the World Council of Churches over the proposed new arrangements. This meeting, apparently, revealed an area of misunderstanding between the three in that ICEM have expected to continue doing certain processing work connected with the onward movement of the White Russion refugees from Hong Kong. They had assumed and I admit that we had also that the WCC would merely be taking over the UNHCR's former role. It emerged at this meeting, however, that the UNHCR and WCC have been discussing the new arrangements together on the basis that in future the whole operation will be carried out by the WCC. The ICEM reaction was, understandably, quite severe.

As you know, they are having certain problems about their long term future and it was no doubt quite a shock to them to envisage losing this particular job.

3. I have spoken to Charles Mace (Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees) to ask him how things now stand. He confirmed the information above but introduced an element which had not been clear to me before. This is that, in order for the UNHCR to overcome Chinese accusations that they are dealing with an agency involved with Chinese refugees (namely ICEM), they consider it necessary to cut their links with ICEM and leave the whole job to the WCC. Mr Mace hopes to have a talk soon with Mr Thomas, the Head of ICEM, but he said that he had been rather shocked that ICEM should be raising at this stage basic questions which had not previously been discussed and which the UNHCR had thought had been settled in a different sense. It sounds as though some greater precision would have been useful at an earlier stage, uvie

The shock

was mutual!

4. I made it very clear that I certainly did not regard this problem as anything to do with ourselves, although I would be very glad to know how it was resolved. In deed, Mr Mace referred to your request to Warren Pinegar to be kept informed through this Mission.

CONFIDENTIAL

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