TNAG-1799-FCO40-2559-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-ex-China-Vietnamese-illegal-im-1988 — Page 114

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELNO 433

ADOO DOL Ado

CONFIDENTIAL

2436

Held 24319

ReceiveD IN REGISTRY

1 8 FEB 1988

FFICER

REGISTRY

PA

Action Taken

@

105570

MDLOAN 2751

OF 18163UZ FEBRUARY 88

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

&

YOUR TELNOS 586, 24 AND 625 AND PEKING'S TELNO 326: ECVII'S

1.

PARA 7 OF FIRST TUR AND PARA 4 OF SECOND TUR: IT IS NOT ALTOGETHER CLEAR TO US WHETHER YOU HAVE IN MIND THAT A FINAL MEETING IN CANTON WOULD COME BEFORE OR AFTER OUR DEMARCHE IN PEK ING. IF IT IS THE LATTER, SHOULD WE NOT PERHAPS INCLUDE AN OFFER OF SUCH A MEETING IN THE SPEAKING NOTE?

2. PARA 1 OF SECOND TUR: ON THE FACE OF IT, AND SUBJECT TO UKMIS GENEVA'S COMMENTS, WE THINK WE SHOULD RESTRICT OURSELVES T A DEMARCHE IN PEKING IN PARALLEL WITH YOURS IN HONG KONG. HOWEVER AN APPROACH BY UNHCR BOTH IN GENEVA AND PEKING MIGHT WEL BE APPROPRIATE.

3.

WE HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED THE ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTATION, BUT HAVE THE FOLLOWING INITIAL COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE I THIRD TUR:

(A) WE SUGGEST THAT PARA 2 BE RECAST TO INCLUDE A REFERENCE TO THE SIZE AND STATUS OF EACH OF THE FIVE GROUPS.

(B) (B).

(C)

WE SUGGEST THAT PARA 3(C) SHOULD COME BEFORE PARAS 3(A) AND

WE SUGGEST THAT THE FINAL SENTENCE OF PARA 4.1 BE OMITTED: IT ADDS NOTHING TO OUR CASE AND RAISES THE QUESTION OF A UNHCR FUNDED CAMP WHICH WE CANNOT RESPOND TO.

(D) WE SUGGEST THAT 4.2 AND 4.3 BE COMBINED: AND THAT THE LAST SENTENCE OF 4.2 AND THE FIRST HALF OF THE FIRST SENTENCE OF 4. 3 BE OMITTED. THE FIRST SENTENCE OF 4.3 WOULD THEN BEGIN QUOTE IT WOULD NOT BE EQUITABLE

UNQUOTE. THIS WOULD REMOVE THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT THE ECVII'S HAD QUOTE SETTLED UNQUOTE IN CHINA, WHILE FOCUSSING ON THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN THERE FOR YEARS WHICH IS THE STRENGTH OF OUR CASE.

4.

►

(E) PARA 4.4: SHOULD QUOTE GROUP III READ QUOTE GROUP I UNQUOTE?

PARA 3 OF SECOND TUR: WE NOTE THAT YOU MIGHT BE READY TO CONSIDER RESETTLEMENT OF THE FANG CHENG CASES WITHOUT THE FORMALITY OF REPATRIATION TO CHINA. THIS WOULD SEEM A WORKABLE ARRANGEMENT, ALBEIT ONLY AS A FALL-BACK.

HOWE