CONFIDENTIAL
024437
MDHOAN 9759
5. ON TIMING, OUR INITIAL THINKING IS THAT WE SHOULD ACCEPT THE VIETNAMESE SUGGESTION OF MID-JULY (BROADLY DEFINED) SO AS TO GET
THE BALL ROLLING AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE.
BECAUSE OF LEAVE PLANS LATE JULY WOULD IN ANY
CASE BE DIFFICULT, AND WE DO NOT WISH TO DELAY UNTIL AUGUST. ARE THEREFORE THINKING IN TERMS OF THE WEEK BEGINNING 18 JULY.
FOR ASEAN POSTS
6.
WE
WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR ANY VIEWS YOU MAY HAVE (WITHOUT CONSULTING HOST GOVERNMENTS AT THIS STAGE) ON LIKELY REACTIONS TO THIS INITIATIVE, IN THE CONTEXT BOTH OF THE PROBLEM OF BOAT PEOPLE AND OF VIETNAMESE ATTITUDES TOWARDS ASEAN MORE GENERALLY.
TUR INDICATES THAT VIETNAM WILL BE APPROACHING QUOTE
OTHER CONCERNED COUNTRIES SUCH AS THAILAND UNQUOTE. DO YOU HAVE ANY INDICATION THAT SUCH APPROACHES HAVE BEEN MADE? A REPORT IN
TODAY'S PRESS QUOTES A VIETNAMESE VICE-MINISTER AS SUGGESTING
THAT INITIALLY ONLY THE THAIS WOULD BE APPROACHED.
FOR UKMIS GENEVA
7. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR ASSESSMENT OF UNHCR'S LIKELY
REACTION TO THIS INITIATIVE. WOULD THEY BE DISPOSED TO VIEW
BILATERAL TALKS BETWEEN THE VIETNAMESE AND OURSELVES AS UNDERMINING THEIR OWN EFFORTS? WHAT COULD WE DO TO CARRY THEM ALONG WITH US IF WE DO DECIDE TO GO AHEAD? YOU MAY WISH TO
TAKE VERY INFORMAL SOUNDINGS WITHIN UNHCR, IF YOU ARE ASKED ABOUT OUR OWN POSITION, YOU SHOULD SAY THAT OUR INITIAL THINKING IS TO RESPOND POSTIVELY TO THE PROPOSAL, BUT THAT IF
TALKS WERE TO GO AHEAD WE WOULD TAKE CARE TO ENSURE THAT THEY WOULD NOT CUT ACROSS UNHCR'S OWN EFFORTS IN ANY WAY.
HOWE
YYYY
DISTRIBUTION
128
ΜΑΙΝ
125
.VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN HK
SPD
LIMITED
FED
HKD
NEWS
SEAD
PS
UND
PS/LORD GLENARTHUR
PAGE
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CONFIDENTIAL
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