TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 48

807

GAS 280

CONFIDENTIAL.

CONFIDENTAL

FM MOSCOW 301595Z MAY 79

IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 315 OF 23 MAY

HKK243/1

839

INFO UKMIS NEW YORK, UKMIS GENEVA, WASHIHECEIVED TASTIES FAN UND),5 IIKREP

BRUSSELS, HONG KONG, PEKING, HANOI, SINGAPORE, CANBERRA AND WELLINGTON INFO SAVING MANILA AND JAKARTA

YOUR TELNO 275: VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

BANGKOK, KUAĻJULUMPUR,

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

Acton

SUSLOV (FOREIGN MINISTRY) ASKED ME TO SEE HIM THIS

flas

AFTERNOON ON ANOTHER MATTER. ! THEREFORE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE WITH HIM THE QUESTION OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES. I SAID THAT I YNEW THAT THE LORD PRIVY SEAL HAD SUMMONED THE SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN ORDER TO TELL HIM OF THE GOVERNMENT'S SERIOUS CONCERN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I DID NOT HAVE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS TO RAISE IT WITH HIM MYSELF BUT WAS DOING SO BECAUSE I KNEW THAT IT WAS A MATTER OF CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, IT WAS, OF COURSE, IN THE FIRST INSTANCE AN INTERNAL VIETNAMESE MATTER, BUT VIENAM'S PRESENT POLICY WAS DOING HER OWN REPUTATION NO GOOD AND IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT A FRIENDLY WORD FROM THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT MIGHT NOT ONLY HELP TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM WHICH CONCERNED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, BUT MIGHT ALSO HELP VIETNAM TO AVOID DAMAGE TO ITS OWN INTERFSTS. SUSLOV COMMENTED ONLY THAT THE "POLITICAL ACCENT'' WAS IMPORTANT AND REFUSED TO EXPLAIN WHAT HE MEANT BY THIS. HE MAY HAVE HAD IN MIND THE WIDER CONTEXT OF BRITISH POLICY IN THE AREA, OR THE DIFFICULTY OF TALKING

TO THE VIETNAMESE ON AN ISSUE WHICH INVOLVES RELATIONS WITH CHINA AS WELL AS DELICATE MATTERS OF INTERNAL POLICY, OR BOTH.

2.

FCO PASS SAVING MANILA AND JAKARTA.

KEEBLE

FILES

SEAD ANGO

COPIES TO

EESD

RED

SAD

RID (E) PUSD

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NEWS D

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PS PS/LPS

PS/MR HURD PS/MR BLAKER

PS/PUS

SIR A DUFF

SIR A PARSONS

MR CORTAZZI MR LEAHY

MR MURRAY

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE

MR BURLEIGH

HOME OFFICE

QUEEN ANNE'S GATE

MR BINT

HOME OFFICE

LONDON

¿OPIES YONGTO DOWNING SMAEFT

LUNAR HOUSE CROYDON

FIR V HOGEE

CONFIDENTAL

FAC ODM

ASPRTIMON TO NANOF NEPERARD FOR

DEPARTMENTAL DECISIONĮ REPENTO AS PEQUENICO 70 OMER POSZA