TNAG-1795-FCO40-2555-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 294

2

CONFIDENTIAL

075423

MDLIAN 4327

9. THE FIRST DAY CONCLUDED WITH A COCKTAIL RECEPTION HOSTED BY

UNHCR FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE RESETTLEMENT

COUNTRIES.

-

IT

10. THE SECOND (HALF-DAY) SESSION FOCUSSED ON PROPOSALS FOR AN

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND A MULTI-LATERAL WORKING GROUP ON

THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE (INDO-CHINESE REFUGEE) ISSUE PARAS 3(C) AND (D) OF FIRST TUR. ASEAN REPRESENTATIVES (FOLLOWING THE CONCLUS-

IONS OF THE ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING EARLIER IN JULY)

INSISTED THAT PREPARATION FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SHOULD BE PUT IN TRAIN AND REQUESTED UNHCR TO ACT AS COORDINATOR/ANIMATOR.

WAS SUGGESTED THAT SUCH A CONFERENCE SHOULD BE HELD IN GENEVA UNDER UNHCR AUSPICES SOMETIME IN THE PERIOD MARCH MAY 1989, PRECEDED BY A PREPCOM IN KUALA LUMPUR IN LATE 1988. (IT WAS

EVEN SUGGESTED BY ONE ASEAN REPRESENTATIVE THAT THE UK MIGHT

INITIATE THE CONFERENCE AS WAS DONE IN 1979. NEEDLESS TO SAY FRENCH

WAS NON-COMMITTAL IN RESPONSE TO THIS SUGGESTION AND IT WAS NOT

FURTHER PURSUED).

-

11. IT WAS GENERALLY AGREED THAT AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, TO BE SUCCESSFUL, WOULD HAVE TO BE FULLY AND CAREFULLY PREPARED AS REGARDS

ALL ASPECTS OF ANY PROPOSED SOLUTION TO BE ENDORSED BY IT. IN THIS

CONTEXT DISCUSSION PROCEEDED TO THE IDEA OF A MULTI-LATERAL WORKING GROUP COMPRISING REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COUNTRIES/ TERRITORIES OF FIRTS REFUGE/ASYLUM, THE COUNTRY (IES) OF ORIGIN, THE RESETTLEMENT AND DONOR COUNTRIES AND THE UNHCR. IT WAS AGREED THAT INITIALLY

FURTHER INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS COULD USEFULY BE HELD AMONG ASEAN AND

HONG KONG WITH UNHCR AND THE RESETTLEMENT COUNTRIES FOLLOWING THE

VARIOUS BILATERAL TALKS WITH VIETNAM. AT SOME STAGE IT WAS AGREED THAT VIETNAM ITSELF SHOULD BE PARTY TO SUCH INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS

AND THE UNHCR DELEGATION WERE ASKED TO SOUND OUT THE VIETNAMESE ON THE POSSIBILITY OF THEIR PARTICIPATION IN SUCH DISCUSSIONS INITIALLY (AND TO GAUGE THEIR LIKELY WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN DUE COURSE).

12. AS REGARDS PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS INCLUDING A POSSIBLE AGENDA FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE THESE WERE LEFT TO ANOTHER DAY AND/OR THE MULTILATERAL WORKING GROUP TO DISCUSS.

ASSESSMENT

13. ASEAN REPRESENTATIVES, FOLLOWING THAI LEAD, SEE NO POINT IN INTRODUCING SCREENING IN ADVANCE OF ADEQUATE ARRANGEMENTS BEING

3

PAGE

CONFIDENTIAL