TNAG-1900-FCO40-2699-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-1989 — Page 56

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MDHIAN 4776

4. MCLAREN CONTINUED THAT WE UNDERSTOOD AMERICAN CONCERNS AND WISHED TO WORK WITH THE ADMINISTRATION IF WE POSSIBLY COULD. IN PARTICULAR WE WANTED THE VOLUNTARY PROGRAMME TO WORK, BUT IN VIEW OF THE QUOTE COUNTER-COUNSELLING UNQUOTE TAKING PLACE IN THE

CAMPS AND OTHER PRESSURES ON POTENTIAL VOLUNTEERS, WE HAD REAL DOUBTS THAT VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION ALONE WOULD PROVIDE THE ANSWER. WE HAD NO WISH TO UNDERMINE THE CPA, AND NO DECISIONS HAD BEEN TAKEN ON FURTHER MEASURES. IN RESPONSE TO AMERICAN CONCERNS, WE WOULD TRY TO HOLD OFF TAKING ANY SUCH MEASURES UNTIL AFTER THE OCTOBER STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING. BUT IF WE THEN FOUND IT NECESSARY TO MOVE ON TO THE REPATRIATION OF THOSE WHO WERE NOT STRICTLY VOLUNTEERS, WE LOOKED FOR UNDERSTANDING FROM THE ADMINISTRATION, ON THE GROUNDS THAT HONG KONG WAS A SPECIAL CASE GIVEN THAT SCREENING BEGAN THERE IN JUNE 1988, AND THAT NO PRECEDENT WOULD THEREFORE BE SET FOR THAILAND AND MALAYSIA.

5. THE AMERICANS MADE CLEAR THAT THEY WELL UNDERSTOOD THE PRESS-

URES ON HONG KONG, AND THE POINT WAS MADE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THAT AS A RESULT OF THE DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN US OVER RECENT WEEKS THERE

WAS NOW MUCH LESS CONFUSION ABOUT THE FACTUAL POSITION. BUT THE

AMERICANS STRESSED REPEATEDLY THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF THE CPA. THEY WERE VERY CONCERNED THAT A MOVE TO

INVOLUNTARY REPATRIATION BY HONG KONG WOULD PRECIPITATE ACTION BY

OTHERS THAT WOULD DAMAGE THE CPA. IT WAS THEREFORE VITAL TO

DEMONSTRATE THAT THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROVISIONS OF THE CPA

HAD BEEN GIVEN A FULL CHANCE TO WORK.

6.

IN THAT CONNECTION, SEITZ SAID THAT, AS AGREED DURING HASWELL'S VISIT HERE, THE US HAD HELD DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WITH THE UNHCR ABOUT THEIR ROLE IN COUNSELLING IN HONG KONG. HE

HANDED OVER A NOTE SETTING OUT THE RESULTS OF THIS. TEXT IN MIFT.

IT WAS CLEAR THAT UNHCR'S PERFORMANCE COULD BE IMPROVED QUICKLY

IN A NUMBER OF AREAS. THE ADMINISTRATION HOPED THAT ONCE THOSE

DEFICIENCIES WERE CORRECTED, THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASING FLOW OF VOLUNTEERS.

7. THE AMERICANS PRODUCED A NUMBER OF OTHER ARGUMENTS FOR HOPING

THAT A BEEFED-UP UNHCR EFFORT WOULD HELP CREATE A BREATHING SPACE

FOR HONG KONG. FUNSETH POINTED OUT THAT UNLIKE OUR BILATERAL

SCREENING PROGRAMME POST-JUNE 1988, THE CPA PROVIDED A

MULTILATERAL FRAMEWORK IN WHICH MORE LEVERAGE COULD BE BROUGHT TO

BEAR. HE ADDED THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE COULD ALSO URGE

THE VIETNAMESE TO EXPAND THEIR CAPACITY TO PROCESS POTENTIAL

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