12. THE GERMAN REPRESENTATIVES WERE SYMPATHETIC BUT THOUGHT IT UNLIKELY THAT GERMANY WOULD AGREE TO TAKE MORE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG. THEY POINTED OUT THAT GERMANY HAD A PRESSING PROBLEM WITH POLITICAL REFUGEES (31,000 ACCEPTED TO DATE WITH 14,000 APPLICATIONS THIS YEAR SO FAR). THEY POINTED OUT THAT AT PRESENT THERE WERE 4.4M FOREIGNERS IN GERMANY WHICH REPRESENTED 7 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION AND A HIGH PROPORTION OF THEIR UNEMPLOYED. THEY DID CONFIRM THAT THEY WERE STILL PROCESSING FAMILY REUNION CASES IN RESPONSE TO A SPECIAL APPEAL MADE BY THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES. WHEN WE POINTED OUT THAT THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION HAD INFORMED US THAT THERE WERE 88 REFUGEES NOW IN HONG KONG WITH CLOSE FAMILY RELATIVES IN GERMANY, THEY CONFIRMED THAT THESE WOULD BE PROCESSED IN DUE COURSE. APART FROM A SERIOUS MISUNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR VOLUNTARY DEPARTURES (THEY THOUGHT THAT WE PERSUADED REFUGEES TO LEAVE HONG KONG AND WERE STRONGLY DISABUSED OF THIS NOTION), THEY APPRECIATED HONG KONG'S DIFFICULTIES. THEY SUGGESTED THAT A DIRECT APPROACH IN BONN COULD PROVE USEFUL.
13. IN THE COMING WEEK ARRANGEMENTS ARE BEING MADE FOR THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY TO SEE THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NETHERLANDS, ITALY, BELGIUM, DENMARK, SWITZERLAND, NORWAY AND FINLAND. A FURTHER REPORT ON THESE DISCUSSIONS WILL BE FORWARDED TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK.
YOUDE
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