TNAG-0895-FCO40-1105-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 245

RESTRICTED

6. MR O'KENNEDY, THR IRISH FOREIGN MINISTER, DELIVERED THE

AGREED AND VERY LOW KEY SPEECH ON BEHALF OF THE NINE.

WITHOUT MENTIONING VIETNAM HE REFERRED SEVERAL TIMES TO THE

RESPONSIBILITIES OF COUNTRIES OF EXODUS. HE REFERRED TO THE

PRINCIPLES OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

REGARDING THE RIGHT TO LEAVE AND RETURN TO ONE'S COUNTRY

FREELY. HE APPEALED FOR ADHERENCE TO THE FIRST ASYLUM

PRINCIPLE AND THE PRINCIPLE OF NON-REF CULEMENT. THE UNHCR/VIETNAM

UNDERSTANDING WAS INTERESTING BUT NEVERTHELESS THE

EXODUS CONTINUED. ALL SHOULD HELP, IN PARTICULAR THE COUNTRIES OF

EXODUS AND ALSO THE FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES WHERE IF THE

PROBLEM WAS CONTAINED SOME PERMANENT RESETTLEMENT MIGHT PROVE

POSSIBLE. THE TRADITIONAL RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES SHOULD ALSO

HELP AND HE POINTED OUT THAT THE NINE HAD ALREADY MADE HAJOR

CONTRIBUTIONS.

7. YOU SPOKE NEXT (TEXT ALREADY SENT IN MY TELNO 343.

3. THE FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, N, FRANCOIS PONCHET, THEN SPOKE.

THERE WAS NOTHING TO DE CAINED BY DEBATING THE CAUSES OF THE

PROBLEM. HE THEN OUTLINED A THREE POINT PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY COVERING THE THREE PHASES OF DEPARTURE,

TRANSIT AND RESETTLEMENT. IN THE FIRST IT WAS IMPORTANT TO EMPHASISE THE RIGHT TO EMIGRATE BY FREE DECISION. THE UNHCR/VIETN-

AM ARRANGEMENT WAS A GOOD FIRST STEP BUT DID NOT MEASURE UP TO THE

PROBLEM AND NEEDED TO BE SUPPLEMENTED. THIS COULD BE DONE BY

VIETNAM KAKING A MORATORIUM OF SIX MONTHS DURING WHICH

ALL DEPARTURES WOULD BE STOPPED EXCEPT THOSE UNDER THE ORDERLY

DEPARTURE ARRANGEMENT. THIS WOULD ALLOW TIME FOR REGISTERING THOSE

WHO WANTED TO LEAVE. MAXIMUM PUBLICITY SHOULD BE GIVEN BY, FOR

EXAMPLE VIETNAMESE RADIO, TO POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR

EMIGRATION. SECONDLY, THERE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TRANSIT CENTRES.

SITED BOTH IN DEPARTURE COUNTRIES AND THOSE NEAR THEM. THERE

SHOULD BE A NEW UNHCR/VIETNAM ARRANGEMENT TO DEAL WITH THIS. THIRDLY, THE OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD SHOULD PLEGE TO TAKE ONE REFUGEE FOR EVERY 1,083, OF THEIR OWN POPULATION. THE FOLLOW-UP TO THIS PLAN SHOULD BE WATCHED BY THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL WHO

SHOULD REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THIS AUTUMN. FRANCE ITSELF

4 RESTRICTED

/ HAD