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PS 333
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FM UKMIS GENEVA 023923Z AUG 7?
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 371 OF 2 AUG 1972
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON.
MY TELNO 383: INDO-CHINESE REFUGEES: RESCUE AT SEA
PA
1. MOUSSALI OF UNHCR HAS NOW FORMALLY INVITED US TO SEND AN EXPERT TO A ONE-DAY MEETING IN GENEVA ON TUESDAY 14 AUGUST. THIS MEETING WILL CONCENTRATE ON THE LOGISTICAL CO-ORDINATION OF OPERATIONS OF QUOTE ACTIVE UNQUOTE RESCUE BY NAVAL AND MERCY SHIPS. IT WILL ALSO CONSIDER HOW THE RESULTS OF AERIAL SURVEYANCE COULD BE FLASHED TO A CENTRAL POINT IN ORDER TO ALERT ... ALL VESSELS IN THE AREA INCLUDING MERCHANT SHIPS.
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2. UNHCR ARE LIMITING INVITATIONS TO NATIONS INVOLVED IN
28/1520)
RESCUE OPERATIONS. BESIDES THE UK THEY ARE ALSO INVITING US, FRANCE, FRG, JAPAN, NORWAY, ITALY, NETHERLANDS AND POSSIBLY CANADA AND AUSTRALIA. MOUSSALI WOULD IDEALLY LIKE US TO SEND A NAVAL EXPERT AND ALSO SOMEONE (POSSIBLY THE SAME PERSON) WHO COULD MAKE FORMAL COMMITMENTS ON BEHALF OF HMG.
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འ I SAID THAT THE UK AND HONG KONG WERE MUCH MORE INTERESTED
N THE OLD-FASHIONED QUOTE PASSIVE UNQUOTE RESCUE AND
THAT WE HAD SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF ACTIVE
RESCUE. I THEREFORE THOUGHT IT UNLIKELY THAT WE WOULD SEND A
NAVAL EXPERT BUT I SUGGESTED THAT SOMEONE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF
TRADITIONAL RESCUE BY MERCHANT SHIPS MIGHT PROVE A USEFUL ADDITION TO THE EXPERTISE AVAILABLE AT THE 14 AUGUST MEETING. MOUSSALI SAID IT WAS UP TO US TO CHOOSE WHAT SORT OF EXPERT TO SEND. HE SAID IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE-DAY MEETING LATER ON TO CONSIDER PASSIVE RESCUE.
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