TNAG-1787-FCO40-2547-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1988 — Page 141

refugees

Mr

Furness, SPD

CONFIDENTIAL

MYSTICAL

HUD 243/5

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Secretary of State's meeting with the New Zealand

Foreign Minister: New York, 7 June

The Secretary of State had a half-hour meeting with Mr Marshall in New York on 7 June.

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Mr Marshall said that New Zealand had been encouraged by Mrs Thatcher's comments in the House about the need to ensure thoroughly satisfactory commitments to New Zealand. On their various visits to European capitals and to the Commission recently, some very discouraging things had been said about the levels of butter access. However they knew that the UK was on the right side. The Secretary of State commented that there would be some hard bargaining. There would be some disposition to argue that if our own farmers had had it tough, New Zealand could expect to be treated the same way. We did not envisage much discussion until after the French elections. In response to a question, he said that we had no advice to offer to the New Zealanders on any change in their position.

On the wider agricultural scene, Mr Marshall said that support seemed to be growing for the activities of the Cairns group, but it was a slow process, especially among the Twelve. The Secretary of State said that this tended to give the Americans high blood pressure as well. But we did not want the American desire for a perfect final solution to impede progress in the meantime.

Mr Marshall asked whether we still expected further civil war in Afghanistan following the Soviet withdrawal. The Secretary of State said that we thought it inevitable, but had concluded that Soviet withdrawal was the most important thing. It was difficult to see how we could work for progress: UN mediation might achieve something. The situation seemed unlikely to improve for some time to come. In the long run the return of the refugees was the most important thing.

The Secretary of State explained the serious situation facing Hong Kong as a result of dramatic increases in the

number of Vietnamese refugees arriving there. We expected to

have to change our policy and start screening the Chinese refugees. Mr Marshall commented that he had seen Ɛo Thach. The latter had shown signs of repentance for past economic follies. The Indonesian Foreign Minister had told him that there was quiet optimism about progress on withdrawal from Cambodia. He might be more successful than Mokhtar.

CONFIDENTIAL