TNAG-1905-FCO40-2709-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 128

CONFIDENTIAL

14666

MDHIAN 4347

REPATRIATION OF NON-REFUGEES, UNDER UNHCR AUSPICES. THE USE OF UNHCR'S GOOD OFFICES TO CHANNEL RE-INTEGRATION ASSISTANCE FOR, AND MONITOR THE CONDITIONS OF NON-REFUGEES ON RETURN WAS INTENDED TO PROVIDE INTERNATIONAL RESPECTABILITY TO REPATRIATION AND TO OVERCOME THE PROBLEM FOR A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES (INCLUDING THE US) OF CHANNELLING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO SRV. MULTILATERAL ACTION SHOULD, HOWEVER, BE SUPPORTED BY BILATERAL ACTION. OUR OWN ARRANGEMENTS WITH VIETNAM WERE NOT INTENDED TO UNDERMINE THE CPA ARRANGEMENTS, BUT TO MAXIMISE THE RETURN OF NON-REFUGEES ON TERMS ACCEPTABLE TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. TO FACILITATE THIS, WE (AND VIETNAM) HAD HOPED TO INVOLVE UNHCR IN SUPPORT OF OUR BILATERAL ARRANGEMENTS, WHICH WERE BROADLY SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE CPA. THE ESSENTIAL DIFFERENCE WAS A SIGNATURE ON A UNHCR VOLUNTARY RETURN FORM. SINCE, HOWEVER, WE WERE DEALING WITH NON-REFUGEES, SUCH A FORM WAS NOT STRICTLY NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE. WE NEEDED TO RECOGNIZE THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF VBPS MIGHT NOT BE WILLING TO SIGN SUCH A FORM,

PRIMARILY FOR REASONS OF

SAVING FACE, BUT WOULD ACQUIESCE IN RETURN.

ALL SUCH CASES

WOULD BE FINALLY SCREENED - OUT AND HAVE BEEN COUNSELLED BY UNHCR ON VOLUNTARY RETURN. ON THIS BASIS, WE HOPED THE AMERICANS WOULD THINK AGAIN AND ACT WITH US TO PERSUADE UNHCR TO PARTICIPATE ON BILATERAL AS WELL AS

CPA RETURN ARRANGEMENTS.

4

-

THE AMERICANS ACCEPTED (ON A PERSONAL BASIS) THAT THEIR

POSITION WAS ILL-FOUNDED AND ILLOGICAL. IT WAS LARGELY

DICTATED BY DOMESTIC POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS. ON THE BASIS OF OUR EXPLANATIONS THEY WOULD REPORT TO WASHINGTON AND TRY TO CHANGE ATTITUDES. THEY ALSO ACCEPTED, ON A PERSONAL BASIS, THAT THEIR PRESSURE ON UNHCR TO RESIST BILATERAL ARRANGEMENTS, PROVIDED FORCE WAS NOT USED, WAS POSSIBLY COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE. UNHCR PROVIDED THE ''FIG-LEAF'' OF INTERNATIONAL RESPECTABILITY AND WOULD HELP DEFUSE

CRITICISM IN THE UNITED STATES.

COMMENT

5. THIS WAS A USEFUL EXCHANGE, ON WHICH WE HOPE THAT GILLMORE CAN BUILD WHEN HE VISITS WASHINGTON LATER THIS WEEK. IF WE CAN PERSUADE THE AMERICANS TO LIFT THEIR RESERVATIONS ON UNHCR INVOLVEMENT IN ACCEPTABLE BILATERAL ARRANGEMENTS, WE CAN PERHAPS BEGIN TO SQUARE THE CIRCLE AND MEET THE

2.

PAGE

CONFIDENTIAL