TNAG-1788-FCO40-2548-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1988 — Page 87

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ESIRABILITY OF A NOVEMBER PREPCON

The U.S. is not opposed to a second international conference on Indochinese refugees sometime in 1989, but feels any such meeting must be well-prepared. In order for a conference to be a success first asylum and donor/resettlement countries must be in broad substantive agreement on central issues such as the preservation of first asylum, implementation of region-wide screening, status and treatment of the screened-in and the screened-out, and continued international resettlement

The U.S. is confident that consensus on these programs. issues is possible. However, the U.S. is concerned that to date there has been too little direct discussion of

The these points among all interested parties. UNHCR-chaired meeting in Bangkok in July did not fully

The September include donor/resettlement countries. meeting of the AWG will be the first meaningful exchange of views. Furthermore, since SRV participation in a prepcon is essential, the U.S. sees a need for at least two more working group sessions with the Vietnamese prior to a prepcon.

X.

Instead

In light of the many unresolved issues that require the close attention of the refugee receiving and resettlement/donor countries, the U.S. cannot endorse the convening of a november prepcon. The U.S. is concerned that a prepcon, held without extensive additional consultations, would not be a constructive step in the process leading to an international conference. the U.S. proposes that the ASEAN and donor/resettlement countries agree to at least two more working-level substantive meetings, chaired by UNHCR, one to be held in October and the other in November/December. Depending on the outcome of the October meeting, we would be prepared to accept the characterization that the November/December meeting (which could be held in Kuala Lumpur) would consider as a main agenda item the convening of a prepcon in early 1989.