TNAG-0587-FCO40-720-Aid-from-UK-for-Vietnamese-refugees-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 59

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4. GOLDSMITH CONTINUED THAT WE WOULD ACCORDINGLY TELL THE UNHCR THAT THE AMERICANS WERE NOW DOUBTFUL WHETHER THEY COULD TAKE THE REFUGEES. WE WOULD ASK UNHCR HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY HAD BEEN IN IMPLEMENTING THEIR EARLIER ASSURANCES TO US. WE WOULD IN PARTICULAR SUGGEST THAT, IF THEY HAD NOT ALREADY DONE SO UNHCR SHOULD (SUBJECT TO REFUGEES' PRESENT WISHES) MAKE URGENT APPROACHES TO NICARAGUA AND AUSTRALIA AND ALSO TO CANADA (IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT THE MATHER IS CANADIAN-OWNED),

5. GOLDSMITH TOLD ONDA THAT WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT IF THE

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WERE PREPARED TO EXTEND THE 30-DAY PERIOD UNTIL

IT BECAME CLEAR WHAT SUCCESS THE UNHCR HAD ACHIEVED IN MAKING

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE REFUGEES. ONDA ASKED WHETHER IF IT BECAME CLEAR

THAT NO ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS WERE LIKELY TO BE FINALISED IN

THE NEAR FUTURE, HMG WOULD STILL BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT THE REFUGEES GOLDSMITH EMPHASISED THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF OUR SEEKING TO ESCAPE FROM OUR EARLIER UNDERTAKING. WHAT WE WERE REQUESTING WAS

AN EXTENSION OF THE 30-DAY PERIOD PENDING CLARIFICATION OF WHETHER THE UNHCR SEEMED LIKELY TO SECURE THEIR EARLY SETTLEMENT ELSEWHERE. ONDA THOUGHT THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WOULD BE RECEPTIVE TO THIS REQUEST AND ASKED WHETHER IN TRANSMITTING IT HE COULD SAY THAT THE REQUEST HAD COME FROM CORTAZZI TO HIS AMBASSADOR. GOLDSMITH CONFIRMED THAT HE COULD DO SO. HE ALSO TOLD ONDA THAT YOU WOULD BE MAKING

PARALLEL REPRESENTATIONS IN TOKYO.

6. GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD SPEAK TO JAPANESE MFA URGENTLY ON ABOVE LINES, PLEASE ALSO SPEAK TO UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE ON LINES OF PARA

4 ABOVE.

7. UKMIS GENEVA ONLY, PLEASE SPEAK TO UNHCR ON LINES OF PARA 4 ABOVE,

AND REPORT THEIR RESPONSE.

CROSLAND

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PS/LORD GORONWY-

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MR CORTAZZI

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