TNAG-0556-FCO40-651-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-othe-1975 — Page 8

CONFIDENTIAL

બો

बाह

POLITICAL CO-OPERATION IN THE NINE

Summary record of a meeting of the Groupe d'Asie Dublin 9 May 1975

Refugees

1.

Ungaro (Italy) said the economic climate made integration of new refugees difficult. Italian criteria were qualitative and required some Italian connection. They expected to receive 3-400, mostly dependants from employees of FAO, the Vietnamese Embassy in Rome and scholarship holders.

2.

Klaus (Netherlands) said his country was not a country of immigra- tion. They were unlikely to agree to a round number of refugees but would look at individual cases. They preferred to support action through the UNHCR.

3. De Viron (Belgium) said the Belgians did not like the quantitative approach. They would look at applications on an individual basis.

4. Kapel (Denmark) said they had already received 200 Vietnamese orphans but they hoped these would return to Vietnam if and when possible.

5. Keil (West Germany) said the Federal Cabinet had decided to accept refugees but in fact this depended on the decision of the individual Länder. There were some 1,600 Vietnamese already in Germany. They would wish any admitted to have some connection with Germany. Language was a problem. He mentioned that Ambassador Dean Brown, Head of the US Task Force on Vietnamese refugees, had hinted at some difficulties with the UNHCR but he had no firm information on the point. He hoped this would not prove a problem in any action in supporting UNHCR's

programmes.

6. Villemur (France) said he had no knowledge of a bilateral US approach to France on refugees. France expected to receive a sub- stantial number, perhaps of the order of ten thousand. There would

be no quantitative restriction of Vietnamese of French culture.

7. Squire (UK) explained our problems in Hong Kong and said we were. willing to admit to the UK a limited number with British connections or knowledge of English subject to individual processing.

8. The Chairman said all Community countries seemed in principle ready to assist but none wished to commit themselves to specific numbers but rather to proceed on an 'individual basis.

CONFIDENTIAL

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19. Keil