TNAG-0561-FCO40-656-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 74

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

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Telephone 01-

E W Callway Esq

United Kingdom Mission

to the United Nations

Geneva

90

93

Your reference

Our reference

UN 45/13

Date 24 June 1975

106

UNITED NATIONS FUND FOR DRUG ABUSE CONTROL (UNFDAC)

1. Thank you for your letters of 9 and 11 June to Stephen Lamport.

2. All in all our decision not to contribute to the Fund for this year was not it seems taken too badly by Dr Martens (but this as you say may well be because he is probably leaving the Fund in the autumn). We would be perfectly content for the Ambassador to write to Märtens making the points set down in paragraph 4 of your letter of 9 June. You might, however, wish to strengthen our argument by saying that UNFDAC was not the only organisation that we were unable to contribute toward this year and cite the case of UNITAR (my letter UN 46/15 of 2 April)

•INOF

3. The Home Office are also content with the line proposed although taking the view that what is said at paragraph 4 (b) was true when the decision not to contribute was taken at the end of last year. Since then we have certainly had some doubts, and these were expressed by the UK representative to the Narcotics Commission, about the operation of the Fund in particular respects; however we would not wish to make anything of this at this stage. Chris Train agrees that it is right to stress that we shall continue to help the Fund in other ways where possible although we will look into these carefully. There is an operational limit on the number of Customs or other officers who can be released from their front-line duties for training or other activities around the world. There are also some activities being financed by the Fund at which one must look with a fair measure of scepticism, for example, the exercise currently being mounted by UNESCO with a view to setting up some sort of social science information service, and we do not think that we want necessarily to be committed to helping with such wilder schemes.

4.

Unfortunately, Harvey Wellman's request for HMG to quantify the value of free assistance we have provided in kind to the Fund will take some time to formulate, and in these circumstances the Ambassador may not wish to delay writing to Dr Martens. However, as soon as I have anything to pass on I will let you know.

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