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CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL DENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
See 291
Telephone 01- 233 8631
DR Snoxell Esq UKMis Geneva
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED HI REGISTRY NO. 51 10 NOV 1978
PA
REC.RY
Action Ten
DESK ORGCER INDEX
Your reference
Our reference
Date
9 November 1978
276
UNHCR CONSULTATIONS ON INDO-CHINA, 11-12 DECEMBER
1. Thank you for your letter of 1 November.
261
2. It seems to us rather odd that countries such as Liberia and Panama (whose flag-ships have, in our experience anyway, performed quite a number of rescue operations involving refugees) should not be invited to this conference. We can understand the High Commissioner's wish not to have too large a gathering but, surely, if the consultations. are to be meaningful at all, countries such as these ought to be included? Unlike the UK and some other states with large merchant fleets, Fanama and Liberia have hardly ever accepted any measure of responsibility for refugees rescued by their vessels. If they are not invited to the conference, it will probably confirm to them 'hat they were right all along and need not accept any responsibility in future, leaving it to the rest of the international community to solve the problem. IMCO are no doubt in close touch with the UNHCR about other states with large merchant fleets which sail in South-East Asia. We also hope, by the way, that the Singaporeans will be invited even if they do not attend
and the Malaysians.
3. I have had a word on all this with John Kimball of the US Embassy who promised to report our conversation to the State Department. He said he would encourage his people in Washington to raise this matter with the UNHCR. Some pressure on UNIICR from the Americans ought to induce the former to revise their views on the attendance of Liberia and Panama.
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