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130060 MDHOAN 5180
ANTAGONISM TOWARDS COMPULSORY REPATRIATION.
3. WE ALSO AGREE THAT WE CANNOT TAKE THE INITIATIVE ON REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE AT THIS STAGE. NOT ONLY IS IT UNREALISTIC TO EXPECT MUCH PROGRESS WITH THE VIETNAMESE ON A GENERAL REPATRIATION PACKAGE ACCEPTABLE TO US: IT WOULD ALSO BE TACTICALLY UNWISE TO PUT OUR OWN CARDS TOO CLEARLY ON THE TABLE IN ADVANCE OF ANY REAL CONCESSIONS FROM THE VIETNAMESE, E.G. AGREEMENT TO THE RETURN OF THE (MODEST) NUMBERS OF VOLUNTEERS WHO
HAVE SO FAR EMERGED.
4. WE SHARE YOUR PERCEPTIONS OF THE THE MULTI-LATERAL
DIMENSION. WE MUST NOT BE SEEN TO BE PREEMPTING THE MULTILATERAL EFFORT. BUT OUR BILATERAL TALKS IF PROPERLY HANDLED NEED NOT CUT ACROSS THE ASEAN SPONSORED MULTI-LATERAL INITIATIVE, WHICH WE WOULD EXPECT TO BE MORE WIDE RANGING IN ITS SCOPE AND CONSEQUENTLY SLOWER TO MATURE. THE TRICK WILL BE TO KEEP IN STEP WITH THE WIDER MULTILATERAL EFFORT BUT IF POSSIBLE TO STAY AHEAD.
THIS WILL NOT BE EASY. IN ANY CASE, WE THINK IT IMPORTANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE ASEAN COUNTRIES, UNHCR AND THE ICG COUNTRIES THAT THERE IS NO CONTRADICTION BETWEEN OUR SUPPORT FOR THE MULTI-LATERAL APPROACH AND OUR OWN BILATERAL CONTACTS WITH
VIETNAM. INDEED OUR OWN BILATERAL EFFORTS COULD SERVE TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR A BROADER MULTILATERAL APPROACH. EVEN A MODEST BATCH OF VOLUNTARY RETURNS WOULD HELP TO GALVANISE THE MAIN PLAYERS.
OUR OBJECTIVES 5.
AS WE SEE IT OUR IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVES IN NEXT MONTH'S TALKS
ARE ON TWO LEVELS.
(A) TO PERSUADE THE VIETNAMESE TO ACCEPT THE EARLY REPATRIATION OF AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OF THE CURRENT LIST OF (ALMOST 200) VOLUNTEERS.
WE COULD EMPHASISE THAT AN EARLY GESTURE OF QUOTE GOODWILL UNQUOTE BY THE VIETNAMESE ALONG THESE LINES WOULD ASSIST GREATLY IN GETTING OUR DIALOGUE OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOTING AND IN CONVINCING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT VIETNAM MEANS
BUSINESS. WE COULD BUILD ON THE ESSENTIAL MESSAGE OF THE EC DEMARCHE RECENTLY DELIVERED IN HANOI, NAMELY THAT THOSE WISHING TO RETURN TO THEIR OWN COUNTRY SHOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO DO SO WITHOUT FEAR OF THE CONSEQUENCES. WE SHOULD ARGUE FIRMLY THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS VERY MODEST NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY RETURNEES, THE QUESTION OF REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE (IN THE SENSE OF PROJECT ASSISTANCE TO SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES SIMPLY DOES NOT ARISE. IF PRESSED, WE COULD EXPLAIN THAT SOME FORM OF VERY LIMITED PERSONAL ASSISTANCE IN KIND (FROM HONG KONG) TO THE INDIVIDUALS CONCERNED, ESSENTIALLY HAS NOT BEEN EXCLUDED (SEE PARA 4 OF
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