TNAG-1794-FCO40-2554-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 177

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HKD 243/8

**** 1988

024437

MDHOAN 9759

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO DESKBY 06010OZ HONG KONG

TELNO 1784

OF 051415Z JULY 88

AND TO DESKBY 06010OZ BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, MANILA AND TO DESKBY 060100Z JAKARTA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

AND TO DESKBY 06080OZ UKMIS GENEVA

INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, OTTAWA, TOKYO, HANOI

HANOI TELNO 244 (NOW REPEATED TO ALL): VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN

HONG KONG: VIETNAMESE REQUEST FOR TALKS.

1. WE WILL NEED TO SUBMIT RECOMMENDATIONS URGENTLY TO MINISTERS. TO ENABLE US TO DO SO PROMPTLY WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS (AND ANY COMMENTS OTHER RECIPIENTS MAY HAVE ON THIS TELEGRAM) DESKBY 060800Z (AND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON 6 JULY FROM UKMIS GENEVA).

2. AT OFFICIAL

LEVEL OUR VIEW IS THAT WE SHOULD ACCEPT THE OFFER OF TALKS. IT IS A WELCOME RESPONSE TO OUR REPRESENTATIONS MADE TO THE VIETNAMESE IN LONDON, HANOI AND NEW YORK (THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO CO THACH). VACILLATION WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY TO THE VIETNAMESE, LET ALONE IN HONG KONG.

3.

BUT WE MUST BE AWARE THAT THE VIETNAMESE MAY SEEK TO USE ANY TALKS TO OPEN DISCUSSION ON OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST TO THEM, IN PARTICULAR AID BUT QUITE POSSIBLY ALSO BROADER POLITICAL ISSUES. INITIAL TALKS WOULD HAVE TO BE EXPLORATORY, WITH A VIEW TO IDENTIFYING THE MAIN ELEMENTS OF ANY DEAL THE VIETNAMESE MAY HAVE IN MIND INCLUDING WHAT PRICE THEY MAY WISH TO EXTRACT FROM US AS

A PART OF THE DEAL. WE WOULD NEED TO ENSURE THAT ANY SUCH TALKS DID NOT CUT ACROSS UNHCR'S DIALOGUE WITH THE

·

VIETNAMESE ON REPATRIATION. IT WOULD ALSO BE IMPORTANT THAT WE AND OTHERS WITH WHOM THE VIETNAMESE HOLD TALKS SHOULD KEEP EACH OTHER FULLY BRIEFED ON DEVELOPMENTS.

4. ON PARTICIPATION, OUR INITIAL THINKING IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE WIDER ISSUES INVOLVED OUR TEAM SHOULD BE LED FROM THE FCO, PROBABLY AT HEAD OF DEPARTMENT LEVEL. HONG KONG REPRESENTATION MIGHT (SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS) BE AT DEPUTY SECRETARY LEVEL. OUR AIM WOULD BE TO CONFIRM THE EXCHANGES AS FAR AS POSSIBLE TO PRACTICALITIES, FED AND TO AVOID GIVING THE TALKS TOO HIGH A POLITICAL PROFILE. WE SEE NO ADVANTAGE IN TAKING UP THE IMPLIED VIETNAMESE INVITATION TO FIELD THE EQUIVALENT OF A VIA FOREIGN MINISTER.

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