TNAG-0895-FCO40-1105-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 263

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CONFIDENTIAL

ESKBY 213806Z

M FCO 201738Z JUL 79

CONFIDENTIAL

TO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA

TELEGRAM NO 165 CF 20 JULY 1979 :

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INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON, UKMIS NEW YORK AND GOVERNOR HONG KONG PRIORITY ALL EEC POSTS, OTTAWA, CANBERRA, KUALA LUMPUR, BANGKOK SINGAPORE, MANILA, JAKARTA, TOKYO,

INFO SAVING HANOI.

MEETING WITH VICE-PRESIDENT MONDALE: INDO-CHINA REFUGEES

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1. I HAD A TALK WITH VICE-PRESIDENT MONDALE IN GENEVA. HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HOLBROOKE AND AARON.

2. MONDALE SHARED MY ASSESSMENT THAT THE VIETNAMESE, APART FROM "'OFFERING TO HAVE THE WEST DO MORE'' WERE SHOWING APPARENT WILLINGNESS TO CO-OPERATE IN ORDER TO DEFLECT CRITICISM, ULARLY ON THE PART OF ASEAN COUNTRIES.

PARTIC-

3. MONDALE SAID THAT IN HIS OWN SPEECH TO THE CONFERENCE HE WOULD ANNOUNCE THAT THE UNITED STATES WAS ASSIGNING 4 SHIPS AND HALF AN AIRCRAFT SQUADRON TO INDO-CHINA FOR REFUGEE RELIEF WORK. HE WOULD ALSO ANNOUNCE INCREASED US FUNDS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO HELP THEM COPE WITH REFUGEES: HE ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE PHILLIPINES' OFFER OF A TRANSIT CENTRE FOR 52,000. MONDALE SAID HE WOULD ALSO HAVE A TOUGH SECTION ON VIETNAM TO PUT THEM BACK ON THE DEFENSIVE. HE WAS THINKING OF INCLUDING A REQUEST FOR A MORATORIUM ON REFUGEE EXODUS FROM VIETNAM. HE WAS UNAWARE, UNTIL I TOLD HIM, THAT THE FRENCH HAD ALREADY MADE THIS SUGGESTION.

4. 1 POINTED OUT THE DANGERS OF PUTTING RESCUE SHIPS IN THE AREA, IE CREATION OF AN ADDITIONAL FLOW OF REFUGEES WITH THE ATTENDANT RISK OF EVEN MORE PERISHING AT SEA. MONDALE SAID THAT THE AMERICANS WERE ANXIOUS THAT THE SHIPS SHOULD NOT BE A MAGNET FOR REFUGEES, THEY WERE NOT PROVIDING A SAFETY NET. THE PRIMARY TASK OF THE SHIPS WOULD BE TO TAKE REFUGEES FROM COUNTRIES OF FIRST ASYLUM TO TRANSIT CENTRES. HOWEVER, IF THE SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT SPOTTED BOATS IN TROUBLE THEN THE SHIPS

CONFIDENTIAL

/WOULD