TNAG-1543-FCO40-2107-United-Nations-High-Commissioner-for-Refugees-(UNHCR)-Execut-1986 — Page 60

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Reference......

General Debate

8.

The Netherlands spoke first. The main points of their speech were as follows:

(a) the nature of the refugee problem had

changed. The High Commissioner had the task of providing independent leadership in the process of clarifying long-standing principles and implementing them under changed circumstances, without sacrificing the essentials of his mandate.

(b) Support for UNHCR's reorganisation and

hope that EXCOM will have a chance to discuss the reorganisation of the Office with the Secretariat.

9. They also covered Government/UNHCR contacts, irregular movements, voluntary repatriation, refugees and development.

In a very short speech

10. The next to speak was the US. the Americans supported UNHCR, stressed their commitment to firm financial management as an integral part of their firm support for action to help refugees and pledged to first asylum countries that they would stay the course with them.

11. Australia spoke next. The main points of their speech were as follows:

12.

(a) The need for UNHCR to concentrate upon its

essential mandate tasks.

(b) The fact that UNHCR assistance must neither

become an end in itself nor deflect the parties involved from their obligation

to tackle the root causes of refugee flows.

(c) In the context of Indo-Chinese refugees

that it is no longer practical to continue to place almost exclusive reliance on resettlement as the solution and that resettlement may indeed have in itself become an integral part of the problem, ie. a full factor.

(d) Australia's support for the establish-

ment of an emergency task force.

The Australian speech also dealt with the reorganis- ation, Papua New Guinea, South Africa and irregular movements. The UK spoke next as in our attached speech.

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