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[ LORDS ] E: My Lords, it is an unsafeguarded facility; that is to say, it does not fall under the control of the International Atomic Energy Authority.
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: UN CONFERENCE
2.42 p.m.
Lord BROCKWAY: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been informed of the terms of the seven point programme with the Vietnam Government reached with the United Nations High Com- missioner for Refugees (30th May, 1979) to facilitate the orderly and safe depar- ture of people wishing to leave Vietnam, and whether the offer of the Vietnam Government to attend a conference of countries concerned to implement the agreement has been accepted.
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The SECRETARY of STATE FOR FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS (Lord Carrington): My Lords, I am aware of the terms of the programme to which the noble Lord refers. United Nations Secretary-General has called an international meeting in Geneva on 20th and 21st July to discuss the problems of Indo-Chinese refugees. The Vietnamese Government has been invited to attend that meeting.
Lord BROCKWAY: My Lords, in thanking the Minister for that reply, may I ask him this Question? Does the agreement between Vietnam and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees amount to an arrangement by which the Vietnamese may leave if they have homes or families abroad, or if they have an intention of livelihood? Has Hanoi accepted the proposal to come to the conference where it is proposed that priority should be given to a discussion by which this agreement might be implemented?
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UN Conference relatives abroad, but of course in terms of the problem the category is so small as to be almost useless. It represents, I think, about 10 days of the exodus of Vietnamese refugees from Vietnam. Something very much more drastic than that is needed to bring home to the Vietnamese Government the scale of what is happening. The Vietnamese Government have been asked to attend the conference, but I do not know whether they have accepted.
Lord CARRINGTON: My Lords, the noble Lord is perfectly right. The agree- ment covers people who have had offers of resettlement because of links with
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Lord AVEBURY: My Lords, while agreeing with the noble Lord that the Vietnamese Government have a heavy responsibility for what has occurred, is it not in our interest that this conference on 20th and 21st July-which, I under- stand, is being held partly at the request of the United Kingdom Government- should be an outstanding success terms of the resettlement of refugees who have already left, and particularly those in Hong Kong who are awaiting resettle- ment from Hong Kong waters? Would the Foreign Secretary tell us what offer Great Britain is prepared to make at the conference to increase the number of refugees we have already taken, so as to set an example to the other nations taking part to increase their own contributions?
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Lord CARRINGTON: My Lords, the Vietnamese Government do not have simply a responsibility for what happening; they have the whole of the responsibility for what is happening. Of course, the Government who were instrumental in calling the conference wish to make it a success and we are discussing what more we can do.
Lord SHINWELL: My Lords, in view of his statement that the Vietnamese Government were invited to attend the Geneva conference, may I ask the Foreign Secretary whether he has been informed of what their reply has been? It seemed to me that he indicated that he did not know what the reply was.
Lord CARRINGTON: My Lords, I do not know yet whether the Vietnamese Government have accepted or not.
Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS: My Lords, while we on this side of the House would wish to ask the Foreign Secretary
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