TNAG-0899-FCO40-1109-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 183

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United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations

845 Third Avenue New York NY 10022

DESK OF CLA

Miss F E Elliott

UND

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INDEX

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-15.11

Your reference

Our reference

Date

8 November 1979

837A

Dear Mass Elliot,

THIRD COMMITTEE:

ITEM 83;

REFUGEES

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As you know, this item is due to be taken on 13 and 14 November and is unlikely to slip because of the traditional courtesy extended to the High Commissioner that his subject is taken up when he can be available in New York. I have already asked SEAD through you to be kind enough to provide the draft of a speech on the South East Asian aspects of the subject. It would also be useful to have a steer from you on how to respond in our speech to concerns about the African refugee problem. shall need the draft by Tuesday 13 November. As I mentioned on the phone today, a copy of our main speech to the UNHCR Executive Committee would also be useful.

T

2.

There are a lot of other things taking the attention of the Third Committee currently, so there has been relatively little focussing on the matter yet on the margins. However, the Danes, who obviously are acting largely as agents of the High Commissioner, have produced the attached draft and are trying to head off the expected politicisation of both the South East Asian and Southern African refugee situations. As you will · see, their draft, which is traditionally an uncontroversial one endorsing the High Commissioner's report, has various references- to these situations. However, these references are undoubtedly too muted to satisfy either the Africans or the ASEAN states.

3. The Thais have already produced an ASEAN draft which they intend to table under the sub-item on the Secretary-General's report on the Geneva Conference. I understand that it has been cleared by Singapore and the Philippines but comments are still awaited from Malaysia and Indonesia. My Singaporean colleague told me that the draft was not provocative, eg it does not name Vietnam, and that the ASEANS hoped that it might pass without a vote. He also said that ASEAN wanted to collect wide cosponsor- ship and, among Western countries, was particularly interested in our cosponsorship because of our initiative which led to the calling of the Geneva Conference. I should be grateful for instructions on this and also for any comments on the draft.

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