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S CO FIDENTIAL
FM STOCKHOLM 2714437 JULY 1979
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 107 OF 27 JULY 1979
INFO ROUTINE OSLO, COPENHAGEN AND HONG KOITG
P.A...
N
SAVING TO MADRID, BERNE, WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA, CANDERRA OTTAWA, BUENOS AIRES, VIENNA, BRUSSELS, PARIS, DONA, TEL AVIV, ROME, THE HAGUE, WELLINGTON.
T469)
YOUR TELNO 356 TO CANBERRA: RESETTLEMENT OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
FROM HONG KONG
.ON
see 1513A
1. IN ABSENCE ON HOLIDAY OF FOREIGN MINISTER AND LEIFLAND, (PUS FA), HEAD OF CHANCERY SPOKE TODAY TO HIRDMAN (HEAD OF RESPONSIBLE DIVISION IN MEA DIANMIC POINTS IN PARA 1 OF HONG
KONG TELNO 1057 AND PARA 2 OF TUR AND LEFT A SPEAKING NOTE.
H OF CASKED THAT THIS SHOULD BE DRAWN TO THE ATTENTION OF IMM- IGRATION MINISTER ON WHOM WE WOULD WISH TO CALL IN A FEW DAYS TIME TO REINFORCE THESE REPRESENTATIONS) AND TO FOREIGN MINISTER ON HIS RETURN FROM LEAVE ON 5 AUGUST, HIROMAN UNDERTOOK TO DO SO, 2. HIRDKAN REPEATED PREVIOUS SWEDISH LINE THAT THEY LEAVE IT TO UNHCR TO DECIDE WHERE PEFUGEES FOR SWEDEN SHOULD COME FROM: ON UNHCR ADVICE THEY HAD UNDERTAKER TO ACCEPT THE FIRST 1500 REFUGCES FROM MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA. HONG KONG HAD BEEN THIRD ON THE UNHCR'S LIST. NO DECISION HAD YET BEEN TAKEN ADOUT THE
750 EXTRA REFUGEES PLEDGED BY FOREIGN MINISTER AT GENEVA FOR RECEPTICH IN 1980.
3. # OF C ASKED WHY SWEDES HAD CHOSEN TO PUT CHOICE OF REFUGEES ENTIRELY IN HANDS OF UNHCR. HIRDMAN SAID THERE WERE THREE REASONS:
(A) UNHCR WAS BEST PLACED TO JUDGE GREATEST RED:
(b) SWCLES WERE VERY ANXIOUS THAT NO QUOTE POLITICAL WITUOTE CONSIDERATIONS SHOULD IMPINGE FROM THE SWEDISH SIDE AND
PREFERRES A NEUTRAL JUDGEMENT:
(C) POLICY WAS IN LINE WITH SWEDISH WISH TO TAKE ALL POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITIES TO DUILD- UP STANDING OF UN AND ITS INSTITUTIONS. HIRDMAN SAID THAT 90 DOUBT UNHCR HAD JUDGED REFUCCES IN CAMPS IN INDONESIA AND MALAYSIA TO BE IN MORE NEED NAK THOSE IN HONG KONG, H OF C POINTED OUT THAT SUCH AGUMENTS IF CARRIED THROUCH BY ALL RECIPIENT COUNTRIES WOULD LEAVE HONG KONG WITH AN
INTOLERABLE BURDEN AFTER ALL OTHER REFUGEES PAD BEEN SETTLED,
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