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WILL BE CONSULTING YOU SHORTLY). ONE CRITICAL ASPECT WILL BE
THAT OF FUNDING.
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE: TENTS
6. MINISTERS HAVE AGREED THAT THIS MUST BE LOOKED AT URGENTLY AND POSITIVELY. WE ARE IN TOUCH WITH ODA AND MOD AND I HOPE THAT OUR EFFORTS WILL PRODUCE TANGIBLE RESULTS VERY SOON.
RESETTLEMENT IN THE UK
7. UNHCR HAVE FORMALLY ASKED US TO FIND 1,000 MORE RESETTLEMENT PLACES (IE IN ADDITION TO OUR LATEST COMMITMENT OF ANOTHER 1,000). OUR ASSESSMENT HAD BEEN, AS YOU KNOW, THAT AN ADDITIONAL 1,000 OVER 3 YEARS WOULD BE THE LIKELY MINIMAL REQUIREMENT FOR THE ICIR AND THAT TO GIVE OUR NEGOTIATORS A REASONABLE HAND WE
MIGHT NEED TO SEEK CONTINGENCY AUTHORITY TO A CEILING OF 1,500-2,000.OUR MINISTERS HAVE ENDORSED THIS GENERAL APPROACH AND WE ARE IN TOUCH WITH THE HOME OFFICE ON THIS BASIS. BUT NO
DECISIONS HAVE YET BEEN TAKEN.
EC AID
8. WE ARE INVESTIGATING THE SCOPE FOR USING THE THREAT OF
WITHHOLDING EC AID AS A LEVER TO BRING ABOUT A MORE RESPONSIBLE ATTITUDE ON THE PART OF THE VIETNAMESE (A TELEGRAM ON THIS IS
ISSUING SEPARATELY).
FINANCE
8. WE RECOGNISE THAT IN VIEW OF THE CRISIS FACING HONG KONG WE NEED TO BE READY TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE TO RESPOND QUICKLY AND FLEXIBLY TO FURTHER APPEALS FROM YOU FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN THE COMING MONTHS. THE AIM WILL BE TO HELP IN PRACTICAL WAYS AND, EQUALLY IMPORTANTLY, TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE OUR SOLIDARITY WITH HONG KONG AT THIS DIFFICULT TIME. WITH THESE CONSIDERATIONS IN MIND, THE SECRETARY OF STATE WILL BE WRITING URGENTLY TO THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY IN ORDER TO FLAG UP THE FACT THAT THERE MAY WELL BE FURTHER CALLS ON OUR FUNDS, TO WHICH WE SHOULD TRY TO RESPOND SYMPATHETICALLY.CODA DISASTER FUNDS FOR 1989/90 ARE ALREADY WELL NIGH EXHAUSTED). WE SHALL SHORTLY BE SEEKING YOUR ADVICE ABOUT WHEN AND IN WHAT FORM SUCH CALLS MIGHT ARISE (ALTHOUGH I RECOGNISE THAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO BE PRECISE). WE WILL ALSO NEED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT
POSSIBLE EXPENSES ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE ICIR (IE FUNDING FOR A REGIONAL HOLDING CENTRE AND AN OVERSPILL CENTRE) AS WELL AS
THE SOUTH CHINA REGIONAL HOLDING CENTRE IDEA.
HOWE
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