TNAG-1796-FCO40-2556-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-repatriation--including-Opera-1988 — Page 250

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FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 3130

OF 23095OZ AUGUST 88

N

INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, HANOI, PEKING, WASHINGTON

INFO PRIORITY BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, TOKYO

-676

YOUR TELNO 2144: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG: THE WAY

FORWARD

1. WE AGREE GENERALLY WITH YOUR VIEWS AND IN PARTICULAR ON THE

NEXT STEPS AS OUTLINED IN PARA 8. WE HAVE ONE OR TWO POINTS OF

CLARIFICATION.

OBJECTIVES IN FURTHER TALKS

2. WE ENTIRELY AGREE THAT REPATRIATION IS NOT (NOT) A SUBORDINATE

OBJECTIVE TO THAT OF REDUCING THE OUTFLOW. THE IDEA BEHIND THE

SUGGESTION OF RDUCING OUR EXPOSURE AS DEMANDEURS WAS SIMPLY TO USE THE TIME WHICH WILL IN ANY CASE BE REQUIRED BEFORE WE ARE READY

FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO DISABUSE THE

VIETNAMESE OF THE IDEA THAT WE ARE IN SUCH A RUSH THAT THEY CAN EASILY TWIST OUR ARMS. IN PRACTICE WE AGREE WITH YOUR SUGGESTION

(PARA 8(B) OF TUR) ON HOW THIS SHOULD BE PUT OVER. WE WOULD NOT

(NOT) WANT TO MAKE STOPPING THE FLOW A CONDITION FOR THE NEXT ROUND

OF TALKS. AT THE SAME TIME WE SHOULD AIM TO INCLUDE IN ANY PACKAGE EVENTUALLY AGREED WITH THE VIETNAMESE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT

REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE WOULD NOT CONTINUE INDEFINITELY IF THE

OUTFLOW DID NOT STOP.

VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION

WE

3. WE AGREE ON THE ADVANTAGE OF GETTING A SIGNIFICANT BATCH OF PEOPLE

BACK TO VIETNAM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE ALSO AGREE THAT WE

SHOULD PRESS THE UNHCR TO GET ON WITH THIS EXERCISE QUICKLY.

SUSPECT THAT THEY WILL NEED SOME PUSHING. IT WOULD ALSO BE

HELPFUL FOR HANOI TO SPEAK AS IN PARA 8(C) OF TUR PROVIDED THAT WE

BEAR IN MIND THE FOLLOWING CAVEATS:

A) WE MUST AVOID APPEARING TO POSE A CONDITION FOR THE NEXT ROUND

OF NEGOTIATIONS:

B) WE MUST MAKE CLEAR TO THE VIETNAMESE THAT WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING

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