CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2984
OF 09100OZ AUGUST 88
635
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY DIST ?
14KD 243/8
RECEN
147023
MDHIAN 9849
NU
1 0 AUG 1988
FICER
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI, BANGKOK, PEKING
ken
HANOI TALKS: COMMENT AND WAY FORWARD
WE JUDGE THE FIRST ROUND OF TALKS TO HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THAT WE HAVE CLEARED THE GROUND FOR FUTURE CONTACTS AND DEFINED THE MAJOR ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED. WE CAN TAKE SOME ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE FACT THAT THE VIETNAMESE HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM AND THAT AN EFFECTIVE SOLUTION IS NEEDED URGENTLY ALTHOUGH OF COURSE THEY HAVE THEIR OWN OBJECTIVES. THEIR MAIN ONE IS TO ACHIEVE A PACKAGE WHICH BRINGS BOTH FINANCIAL AND DIPLOMATIC ADVANTAGES. WE JUDGE THAT THEIR PRESENT INSISTENCE ON VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION IS TACTICAL. THEY DROPPED STRON HINTS THAT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE COULD OPEN THE WAY TO THEIR ACCEPTING BACK A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF BOAT PEOPLE ALTHOUGH THEY CLEARLY WANT TO BE IN A POSITION TO BARGAIN OVER THE PRECISE NUMBERS. THEIR REPORTED COMMENT TO DE MELLO THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT THE MAJORITY SHOULD BE RESETTLED WE ALSO JUDGE TO BE TACTICAL. BUT AWAY WILL STILL HAVE TO BE FOUND OF GETTING THEM OFF THIS HOOK.
2. THE VIETNAMESE SEEM TO ENVISAGE SOME KIND OF SELECTION PROCEDURE IN HONG KONG INVOLVING THEIR OWN OFFICIALS THIS WOULD ENABLE THEM TO CONTROL THE NUMBERS AND HELP TO ADVERTISE THEIR EMERGING ACCEPTABILITY TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. WE WOULD NOT RULE OUT A VISIT TO HONG KONG AT SOME STAGE BY VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS AS PART OF A GENERAL REPATRIATION PACKAGE, BUT WE WOULD BE OPPOSED TO ANY PROPOSALS FOR SEMI-PERMANENT STATIONING OF A VIETNAMESE VERIFICATION MISSION IN HONG KONG. NOR WOULD WE FAVOUR AN EARLY FAMILIARISATION OR ASSESSMENT VISIT. WE FEEL THAT SUCH A VISIT WOULD BE OF NO VALUE TO US AND COULD TRIGGER DISTRUBANCES IN THE CAMPS.
WAY FORWARD
3. THE VIETNAMESE WILL PROBABLY WANT TO GAUGE THE ATTITUDE OF THE OTHER FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES AND THE MALAYSIAN VISIT TO HANOI AT THE END OF AUGUST WILL BE IMPORTANT IN THIS RESPECT. THE EARLIEST DATE FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF TALKS WOULD THEREFORE SEEM TO BE THE FIRST WEEK IN SEPTEMBER. WE WOULD BE RELUCTANT TO INVITED THE
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CONFIDENTIAL
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