TNAG-1802-FCO40-2562-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-resettlement-in-the-UK-1988 — Page 21

1

6 -

Compared with the progress which has been made on the issues

I have described, we are disappointed that this year we have not had similar success in achieving the other important goal of President Reagan's 1984 initiative; namely, a large-scale program for resettlement of former reeducation center detainees and their

close family members. This lack of movement despite public

statements by the Vietnamese authorities that they would be allowed to emigrate.

strag

Indeed at negotiations in Hanoi in July, which I attended as head of the U.S. delegation, the Vietnamese delegation reaffirmed that released detainees and their close family members would be permitted to emigrate overseas if they desired. At that meeting, the two delegations reached an agreement in principle, but agreed that additional exchanges of views would be required to work out details. I would like to take the opportunity here today once again to affirm the strong humanitarian interest of the U.S.

Government in the resettlement of these former detainees and to

urge the Vietnamese authorities to negotiations as soon as possible resolve out the remaining questions, so that we can begin resettling significant numbers of these persons.