Registry No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
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Copies to:
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DRAFT
CONFIDENTIAL
To:-
Prime Minister
Type 1 +
DSR11
From
Secretary of State
Telephone No. Ext.
Department
INDO-CHINA REFUGEES-
1.
We discussed this problem in Cabinet on 20 June.
2
One. urgent decision is now needed: how to respond to
the suggestion from the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees that, as part of the pledging that he is
seeking in advance of an international conference, Britain
should take a further 10,000 refugees.
3. Mr Hartling clearly did not put forward this figure
lightly. When Peter Blaker saw him in Geneva he stressed
that a figure of this size was indicative of the burden that
the world "ould have to shoulder if the existing and future
refugee flood was to be absorbed. He also told Peter Blaker
that he aims at completing his international enquiries
within the next few days so that he can report to the UN
Secretary-General by the end of the month.
4. I believe we must now declare a sizeable new quota.
The latest news from New York suggests that Dr Waldheim is
moving quickly to call a conference. If this turns out to
be largely a humanitarian conference, ie concerned with
refugee settlement, it will not achieve all of our desired
aim to put pressure on Vietnam. However, we shall not be in
a good position to speak with authority unless we have gone
a good way to meet UNHCR's expectations.
More important
/still,
Od 108087 400M S&K 1/77
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