CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 243/9
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 349
OF 10040OZ JULY 89
AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA
67
106231
MDHIAN 2559
TOP COPY Q DIST?
MY 347: VBP: REPATRIATION.
UNQUOTE WHICH
ENGLISH IS A
TRIED TO STICK
THIS FORM OF
MIFT CONTAINS THE TEXT OF THE QUOTE AGREED MINUTE CHUONG AND I AGREED AD REFERENDUM ON 8 JULY. THE
BIT WIERD IN PLACES BUT IN TRANSLATING IT I HAVE
AS CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL VIETNAMESE AS POSSIBLE. WORDS, ALTHOUGH NOT PERFECT, SHOULD I BELIEVE BE ACCEPTABLE AND I HOPE THAT YOU CAN GIVE ME AUTHORITY TO SIGN IT WITHOUT FURTHER AMENDMENT.
2.
A FEW POINTS OF EXPLANATION:
(A) CHUONG FIRST PROPOSED ADDING A COMMITMENT TO GIVE EACH RETURNEE 50 US DOLLARS POCKET MONEY TO THE SENTENCE SAYING THAT WE WOULD MEET ALL COSTS IN HONG KONG AND TRAVEL COSTS. I TRIED TO DEFLECT THIS BY SAYING THAT WE HAD PROMISED TO MEET ALL THE COSTS IN HONG KONG, THAT I WAS NOT BRIEFED TO TALK ABOUT DETAILS AND THAT SUCH DETAILS SHOULD NOT REALLY CONCERN THE VIETNAMESE SIDE. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE CHUONG THEN PROPOSED THAT WE DELETE THE WHOLE SENTENCE AND CONFINE THE TEXT SOLELY TO REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE IN VIETNAM. I AGREED THEREBY AVOIDING ANOTHER ARGUMENT OVER MONEY.
(B) THE PHRASE ''REINTEGRATION IN DIFFERENT PLACES'' IN PARAGRAPH A REFERS TO THE PROCESS OF REINTEGRATING PEOPLE AWAY FROM THEIR ORIGINAL HOMES IF THIS PROVES NECESSARY. IT REALLY ADDS NOTHING TO THE OTHER CATEGORIES.
(C) CHUONG WANTED TO PIN US DOWN ON WHEN AND HOW WE WOULD PAY THE MONEY. HE SUGGESTED TWO TRANCHES APPLICABLE TO 500 PEOPLE EACH. I EXPLAINED THAT IN PRINCIPLE SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT SHOULD BE ACCEPTABLE (ALTHOUGH WE MIGHT WISH TO PAY, FOR EXAMPLE, QUARTERLY) BUT SUCH DETAILS SHOULD BE WORKED OUT AT A LATER STAGE AND LEFT OUT OF OUR TEXT.
(D)
CHUONG WANTED TO BACK PEDAL ON THE SUBMISSION OF ACCOUNTS AND ASKED US TO ACCEPT THE BANK RECEIPT FOR EACH TRANSFER OF MONEY
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