UNCLASSIFIED
ED Adams Esq
UKMis Geneva
Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
1 CA:
CENTRAL AMERICA
NS 243111
Telephone 01- 233 863.
Your reference
Our reference UNS 243/1. 1.
Date
6 October 1982
1.
22.
Thank you for your letter of 1 September.
As you know, one of the reasons why we left the ICM in 1969 was that we considered that they were 'straying into fields, particularly technical assistance, which are regarded as the province of other organisations, including the UN. Having taken that stand we can hardly now start supporting precisely those activities to which we Look exception.
3. The ODA are reluctant to contribute to ICM funds because:
(江)
(b)
(c)
(d)
they object to the system under which ICM's operational costs are met by loans to be repaid by refugees or their sponsors:
10% of ICM's operations are in developed European countries;
they would normally expect transport costs to be met by the countries concerned;
they prefer to assist those organisations giving overall attention to refugee problems;
(e)
we are not members of ICM.
7 }
1. I am sure none of the above will come as a surprise. I also realise that as our observer you need to keep on good terms with the ICM. However, while I am quite happy to help the ICM out in minor ways (such as the Pires visit), there is little point in their trying to get us involved in their projects.
5. I am not sure how we can best get this across to the ICM. Perhaps it might be worthwhile your comparing notes with the French. They left the ICM in 1967 for roughly the same reasons as ourselves and have of course recently been granted observer' status.
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1
CC: Mrs Birch
UNTV AAONA
R Godfrey
United Nations Department
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