TNAG-1907-FCO40-2711-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-voluntary-and-mandatory-repat-1989 — Page 112

CONFIDENTIAL

065453 MDHIAN 0310

WAS NEEDED FOR THE VOLUNTARY PROGRAMME TO WORK.

6. MCLAREN EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR UNHCR EFFORTS ESPECIALLY ON COUNSELLING THE SCREENED-OUT. HOWEVER, EXPERIENCE DEMONSTRATED THAT WE WOULD NOT GET A SERIOUS FLOW OF VOLUNTEERS WHILE THE SCREENED-OUT CONTINUED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAD THE OPTION TO STAY IN CAMPS IN THE HOPE THAT POLICY WOULD CHANGE. REFERRING TO AN (AUSTRIAN) SUGGESTION THAT A RANGE OF POSSIBLE OTHER MEASURES SHOULD BE LISTED FOR EXAMINATION AT A SUBSEQUENT STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING, MCLAREN STRESSED THAT THE SITUATION DID NOT ALLOW FOR SUCH SLOW PROGRESS. AN ACCEPTABLE WAY FORWARD MIGHT BE TO INTERPRET THE WORDING OF THE CPA MANDATE AS APPLYING TO INDIVIDUALS RATHER THAN THE PROGRAMME IN THE ABSTRACT. THERE SHOULD BE A PERIOD OF TIME AFTER AN INDIVIDUAL WAS DEFINITIVELY SCREEENED-OUT, DURING WHICH HE WOULD BE COUNSELLED TO RETURN VOLUNTARILY, BUT AT THE END OF WHICH HE WOULD HAVE TO RETURN ANYWAY.

7. MCLAREN PROPOSED THAT A WORKING GROUP BE CONVENED TO WORK OUT THE DETAIL. AFTER SOME CONFUSED DISCUSSION DURING WHICH THE AMERICANS SOUGHT TO DEFER ALL DISCUSSION OF 4(B) TO THE FOLLOWING DAY, A SHOW OF HANDS WAS TAKEN. IT WAS AGREED THAT A GROUP SHOULD MEET IN THE

EVENING AND THAT IT SHOULD REPORT ITS CONCLUSIONS TO PLENARY THE

FOLLOWING DAY.

8. IN THE EVENT, WE CHAIRED THE MEETING, WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY 11 DELEGATIONS. THE DEBATE WAS AT TIMES HEATED, WITH DIFFERENCES CLEARLY EXPOSED. THE AMERICANS ARGUED THAT THE MANDATE GIVEN TO SC3 WENT NO FURTHER THAN THE EXAMINATION OF ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO ENHANCE THE VOLUNTARY PROGRAMME, AND TABLED A DOCUMENT LISTING SEVEN SUCH MEASURES. WE ARGUED STRONGLY THAT THE MANDATE WAS CLEARLY TO EXAMINE AND PROPOSE FURTHER MEASURES ADDITIONAL TO VOLUNTARY

REPATRIATION.

9.

WE TABLED DRAFT CONCLUSIONS TO BE ADOPTED BY SC3 ON THIS AGENDA ITEM, ON THE BASIS THAT PARAGRAPHS 12 AND 14 OF THE CPA SHOULD BE INTERPRETED ALONG THE LINES OF THE ARGUMENT PRESENTED BY MCLAREN DURING THE PLENARY SESSION (PARA 6 ABOVE). (TEXT OF BOTH THE US AND OUR DOCUMENTS FOLLOW BY FAX TO HKD). THE AMERICANS, HAVING DISPUTED THAT THE SC3 MANDATE JUSTIFIED SUCH AN APPROACH, REFUSED COMMENT ON THE SUBSTANCE OF OUR PAPER. THE REACTION OF OTHER DELEGATIONS WERE SUMMARISED IN THE CHAIRMANS REPORT (TEXT ALSO BY FAX) WHICH WE PRESENTED TO THE PLENARY SESSION WHEN MAIN DISCUSSION OF THIS ITEM

BEGAN ON 17 OCTOBER.

2

PAGE

CONFIDENTIAL