TNAG-0898-FCO40-1108-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 34

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the importance we attached to the protection function of UNHCR and referred to improvements made to our own refugee procedures. year the UK contribution was to be announced at the Pledging Conference in New York,

5. The main topics discussed in the General Debate and under Item 6 were as follows:-

AFRICA

With an increased number of Africans on the Executive. Committee, and as the continent with the largest number of refugees, Africa played a more prominent role than previously. African speakers were clearly determined to tilt the balance away from concentration on Indo- Chinese refugees and this was illustrated by the fact that the Sudanese Vice President came to Geneva to address the Committee on the situation in his country (400,000 refugees); he declared that 1980 would be devoted to refugee problems in Sudan and that a world- wide appeal would be launched for funds. Africa's liberal refugee asylum policies and the Arusha Conference on the situation of refugees in Africa were pointed to as an example to other countries of how refugees should be treated. The African image, however, was marred by the traditional and time consuming clashes between Morocco and Algeria over the Saharawi refugees, and also between Ethiopia and Somalia. Moroccan insistence on calling Western Sahara the "Atlantic part of the Sahara" further exacerbated the exchange and it was finally agreed that the latter term could only be used in the report when quoting the Moroccans and between quotation marks. Both ZAPU and ZANU attacked the UK much more aggressively than in previous years and the UK delegation confined itself on both occasions to deploring the introduction of language of a political nature into a humanitarian forum. There was no pressure from the Secretariat or other delegations to respond to the complaints concerning passports raised by ZAPU and the delegation did not, therefore, do so.

The Africans showed keen interest in the distribution of UNHCR's resources, clearly dissatisfied that three times as much was going to Asia with less than a third of Africa's refugee population, and also in the personnel policies of UNHCR. They frequently alluded to the UN principle of equitable geographical distribution, but were rightly told by the Director of Administration that although the High Commissioner was influenced by this factor, it was not incumbent on him, as in the case of the UN, to be guided by it.. Other factors such as experience, sex, availability, and demonstrated interest were equally important. The Algerians, on behalf of the Africans, proposed the creation of consultative committees to advise the High. Commissioner on Africa and South East Asia, but this was dropped in the face of the High Commissioner's opposition, on cost and operational grounds, in favour of more frequent consultations between member governments and UNHCR.

SOUTH EAST ASIA

It was to be expected that much attention would be paid to the situation in South East Asia, particularly as the meeting coincided with a further outflow of some 90,000 Kampucheans into Thailand.

The

/debate

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