PM/79/70
PRIME MINISTER
CONFIDENTIAL
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Geneva Conference on Refugees in Indo-China
1. The results of the Geneva Conference on Refugees, which took place at the end of last week, have more than vindicated your decision to call for a meeting.
2. The preparations for the meeting focussed attention in a way that has led countries like Sweden and Yugoslavia, who would have preferred to remain neutral, to come into the open before the
Conference and criticise Vietnam. These pressures led Vietnam,
at Geneva, to take steps to curb what they call illegal emigration
"for a reasonable time". This could mean everything or nothing: but since the Vietnamese hold that all the current emigrants leave Vietnam illegally, it offers some hope.
3. Although the Conference was primarily humanitarian, I thought
it was vital to make it clear in my speech (enclosed) where the responsibility lay. Although many of the other speakers avoided direct criticism of Vietnam, the Americans, Canadians, Australiaus and Chinese all spoke forcibly. I believe that our political case
was strengthened by our decision to take an additional number of
refugees. As a result, the Vietnamese delegation did not succeed
in their attempt to portray themselves as the hapless victims of a
problem beyond their control. They had to make concessions not
only because of the political pressures but also because they are
in economic difficulties and are feeling the pinch as a result of
the cut-off in aid. I think we can now afford to lower our profile
on the whole issue of Vietnamese refugees, leaving it as far as
possible to others to maintain the pressure on Vietnam.
4. One way would be, as I suggested in my speech, through an
international commission composed of genuinely non-aligned and
neutral countries from the region, which would supervise the
orderly exodus of the refugees: another could be through a move to
the Security Council, even if we were faced there with a Soviet
/ veto.
CONFIDENTIAL
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