RR UKMIS GENEVA
R HONG KONG
RR UKREP BRUSSELS
GR 440
ADVANCE COPY
Hd. SEAD (FILES), Hd. UND2,
Hd. HK+Go
327
P
?
Ps / Judd.
fr
B/M Luard, Ps/ha. Gorowy-Roberts, istlus
Min
DESKBY @5093AZ
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY 0509302
MWASHINGTON 342356Z DEC 78
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 4786 OF 4 DECEMBER
Mr. Mumay
Mr. Weir R.C. (12x)
INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA, UKMIS NEW YORK, HONG KONG, UKREP BRUSSELS (FOR SOSFA'S PARTY }
INFO SAVING HANOI, VIENTIANE, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR
FROM CORTAZZI
INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES.
HKK 243/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRVNO. 51
5 DE 1978
DESK OFFICER INDEX
No
THE CLE
1. AT MY TALKS TODAY WITH HOLBROOKE WE LATER REFERRED TO
THE MEETING BEING HELD IN GENEVA ON 11 AND 12 DECEMBER. HE SAID
THE US ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO IT. PREVIOUS STOPGAP
RESPONSES TO THE PROBLEM OF INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES HAD BEEN
A MISTAKE. IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE FLOW OF REFUGEES WOULD NOT
DECREASE. IT WOULD PROBABLY GROW LARGER. THE NATURE OF THE
PROBLEM WAS ALSO CHANGING. THE FIRST WAVES OF REFUGEES HAD
BEEN PERSONS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE OLD REGIMES. NEW
PEFUGEES WERE NOW LEAVING BECAUSE CONDITIONS OF LIFE COULD
NOT BE BORNE. IT WAS NOT POLITICALLY POSSIBLE TO STEM THE FLOW.
2. A VIABLE INTERNATIONAL SCHEME FOR DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM
THEREFORE NEEDED TO BE FOUND. THERE WAS NO REAL SOLUTION TO THE
PROBLEM IT COULD ONLY BE ALLEVIATED SOMEWHAT. DECENT CAMPS WOULD
NEED TO BE ESTABLISHED AND ARRANGEMENTS MADE FOR COUNTRIES TO
TAKE REFUGEES ON A CONTINUING BASIS. SINCE THE US ATTACHED GREAT
IMPORTANCE TO THE CONFERENCE, THEY WOULD BE REPRESENTED BY NEWSOM (UNDER SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS), OAKLEY (HOLBROOKE'S SENIOR DEPUTY) AND A SENIOR STAFF MEMBER FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE. THE AMERICANS RECOGNISED THAT BRITAIN, WITH COMMITMENTS TO TAKE IMMIGRANTS FROM ELSEWHERE, COULD TAKE ONLY LIMITED NUMBERS OF INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES. BUT THEY HOPED WE WOULD TAKE AS MANY
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