TNAG-0900-FCO40-1110-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 24

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United Kingdom Mission to the United NCEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 845 Third Avenue New York NY 10022 1. CCHEGO 2 JAN1980

R Chatterie Esq UND

FCO

Mrs, Anderso

Hatit 21/12

2.

Our reference

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AODESK OFFICER

INDEX

Your reference

Date

PA

REGISTRY

Action T

UN 243/16 1/43/

31/12.

20 December 1979

Dear Mr. Chalteye,

34TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY: THIRD COMMITTEE:

ITEM 83;

OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES

Summary

1.

This item was more controversial than in previous years, primarily because of the refugee situation in South East Asia. There were a large number of speakers from both Third World and Western countries. Three resolutions on the report of the High Commissioner, the report on the Geneva refugee meeting and on refugees in Africa passed by consensus in the end. The outward decencies of the humanitarian handling of this item were there- fore preserved but pressure on Vietnam was clearly maintained.

Detail of Debate (A/C.3/34/SR.42-46)

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2. You will have seen our telegram number 1521 of 12 November which sets the scene for the debate. The Secretary-General's request that interventions be kept non-political was only loosely adhered to.

3.

On the whole Western countries spoke on uncontroversial topics such as the various programmes being set up by their governments to assist refugees. The Nine in their common statement

copied by bag) also by and large spoke in humanitarian terms. However the UK, FRG and Canada criticised Vietnam for causing the refugee situation and drew attention to the need for it to observe fully the promises made at the Geneva meeting. (A copy of the Ambassador's speech was sent in our tel no 1529 to FCO.) China made an aggressively anti-Vietnamese speech.

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The Africans were obviously irritated by the emphasis on South East Asia and confined statements to the refugees in their continent. Tanzania specifically criticised the High Commissioner for placing too much importance on Indo-China. The UK speech in fact emphasised the scale of the refugee problem in Africa. were bitter exchanges between Somalia and Ethiopia about refugees in the Horn.

There

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