TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 228

GRS 183

PRIORITY

CYPHER CAT A

FM UKMIS GENEVA 281710Z

CONFIDENTIAL

ICONFIDENTI VED IN

RE

~ 51

29 JUL 1976

NKK 243/578//

1. Repeated

104)

beaked to HK

218

TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 237 OF 28 JULY UNFO PRIORITY-WASHINGTON

MỸ TELNO 234: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

A

REF.

101

1. WHEN WILSON CALLED ON ME THIS AFTERNOON I GAVE HIM IN

CONFIDENCE A COPY OF THE UNHCR SCHEME FOR HANDLING SMALL BOAT'' REFUGEES AS GIVEN TO ME THIS MORNING, AND EXPLAINED THE IMPORTANCE YOU ATTACHED TO GETTING SOME SUCH SCHEME ADOPTED.

2. WILSON STRONGLY AGREED THAT THE PROBLEM MUST BE INTERNATIONALISED. TUNHCR HAD TOLD HIM AT LUNCH TODAY THAT A LETTER CONVEYING HIS PROPOSALS WOULD ISSUE SHORTLY TO MOST MEMBERS OF HIS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PLUS ONE OR TWO OTHERS, EG NEW ZEALAND. SADRUDDIN HAD APPARENTLY ALSO SAID THAT HE EXPECTED THE NEXT STAGE (A REVIEW OF GOVERNMENTS' REACTIONS TO HIS PROPOSALS) TO COME AT THE OCTOBER SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. WILSON THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS LEAVING THINGS MUCH TOO LATE SINCE THE PROBLEM WAS VERY URGENT. HE REMARKED THAT URGENT AND VIGOROUS BILATERAL AND

MULTILATERAL CONSULTATIONS WOULD BE NECESSARY TO GET A

GOOD RESULT.

3. WILSON ALSO COMMENTED THAT THE FOLLOW-UP PROCESS HIGHT BEST

TAKE PLACE IN GENEVA. THIS MAY INDEED BE TRUE OF MULTILATERAL

FINALISATION OF THE PROPOSED SCHEME BUT I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT

THAT ANY PRELIMINARY ARM--TWISTING THAT IS REQUIRED MIGHT BEST

BE DONE IN CAPITALS.

4. WILSON WILL BE IN HIS WASHINGTON OFFICE ON FRIDAY.

PS/LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS PS/MR LUARD

BOTTOMLEY

FILES

HAD

UN DEPT

MR LARMOUR

SEAD

NAM D FED

NEWS DEPT

MR CORTAZZI

MR MALE

MR WEIR

MR EDMONDS

CONFIDENCIAL

COPIES TO:

MR RUSHFORD LEGAT, ADVISERS MR KIDD, HKGO, 6 GRAFTON ST.

LONDON W1

MR BRENNAN, HOME OFFICE,

LUNAR HOUSE, CROYDON

MR NACDOWALL, HOME OFFICE,

LUNAR HOUSE, CROYDON

9