CONFIDENTIAL
involved in monitoring until UNCHR can be persuaded to take this on. If they agree, a monitoring operation could take several weeks to
set up.
(No British NGO has permanent staff based in Hanoi). We are also pursuing separately the possibility that Oxfam Hong Kong might
be willing to undertake monitoring.
In summary, if Ministers wish to ensure that independent monitoring arrangements are in place before proceeding with repatriations, it is likely that the return of the first group will be delayed until
the New Year.
If Ministers are prepared for the return of the first group to take place before independent monitoring arrangements have been
established (but on the understanding that action is in hand to establish them) then it would be possible to proceed in December,
though to do so before the resumption of SC3 would involve tight timing. Otherwise we would have to rely on our Embassy in the short
term.
ACTION WITH THE VIETNAMESE
This must be
We still need to sign the Agreed Minute on modalities.
done at least two weeks before the return of the first group. Le
Tho, Director of the Consular Department of the Vietnamese MFA, has
suggested to HMA there may be questions to resolve before the first
flight.
PRIME MINISTER'S APPROACH TO PRESIDENT BUSH
If a decision to proceed with repatriation has been taken, the Prime
Minister could make it clear to President Bush that we had delayed
as long as possible to allow the voluntary arrangements to work;
that we were working on the detail of timing/monitoring. We would
keep the US informed. While we recognised that the US could not
support our decision, we hope that they would not oppose it.
In the absence of such a decision, the only exceptional measures which seem open are:
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.