TNAG-1276-FCO40-1626-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 13

CONFIDENTIAL

(167)

BILATERAL MEETING WITH A US DELEGATION TO UNHCR 13 OCTOBER 1983

HKK243/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

IND

3 10CT 1983

DESK OFFICER

DROOM

GISTRY

on Tüken

Present:

Dame Anne Warburton

Mr P Williamson,

Hong Kong Government

Mr R McDowall,

Home Office

Mrs H Birch, ODA

Mr D J Peate, UND, FCO

Mr James Purcell (Director of Refugee Programme Bureau, State Department) Mr A Eugene Dewey (Deputy Assistant

Secretary, Refugee Programme Bureau) Mr Henry Blaney (Director Office of

Asian Refugees)

Mr Karl Beck (Refugee Affairs

Councillor, US Mission, Geneva)

1. In response to a request by Mr Williamson to meet Mr Purcell to discuss US places for South East Asian refugees in Hong Kong, the US Delegation proposed a bilateral meeting to go over the ground of issues arising at the current session of the UNHCR Executive Committee.

INDO-CHINA

2. Mr Purcell opened by explaining that the Honolulu Conference had considered the question of long term non-resettlement solutions. The US Government fully agreed with UNHCR's proposals on durable solutions and was trying to remove impediments to the alternatives to resettlement. There was a limit to US political goodwill and resettlement was causing serious domestic problems. It would not be possible to rely on Third Countries for a solution. The Indo- Chinese problem had gone beyond the crisis stage. The settling of arrivals under the Orderly Departure Programme (ODP) was preferable to re-settling those who departed illegally. Discussion at Honolul of repatriation as an option had reflected governments' frustration with Third Country resettlement. The US had written to Mr Hartling

on the question of repatriation to Cambodia to ensure that it was voluntary, monitorable and without political compromise. Repatriation of Laotians was already adequately monitorable. There was however not much possibility of repatriation to Vietnam under present circumstances.

HONG KONG

3. Mr Williamson said Hong Kong was exceedingly grateful for the US resettlement programme. He asked for an indication of US resettlement places in 1984. As further absorption was impossible, Hong Kong would continue to look to the USA for at least half of the resettlement places it needed. Mr Purcell said that Congress

CONFIDENTIAL

/had