TNAG-2063-FCO40-2941-Vietnamese-boat-people-repatriation-1990 — Page 89

CONFIDENTIAL

173473

MDHOAN 3728

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

2

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 417.

OF 221730Z FEBRUARY 90

HKB

243/20

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

07 MAR 1990

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

REGISTRY

PA

ion Taken

TOP COPY Q DIST?

INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA, WASHINGTON, PARIS,' HANOI INFO IMMEDIATE BANGKOK, MANILA JAKARTA, KUALA LUMPUR

MIPT

FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF THE DRAFT UNDERSTANDING.

BEGINS

1

THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT WILL AGREE THAT THE DATE IN PARAGRAPH 4 OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE (3) CONSENSUS SHOULD BE 1 JULY 1990.

2 IN THE EVENT THAT FULL CONSENSUS ON THIS IN THE STEERING COMMITTEE CANNOT BE REACHED, ORDERLY REPATRIATION OF NON-VOLUNTEERS WILL RECOMMENCE AT THE REQUEST OF THE BRITISH SIDE, WITH UNHCR OFFERING ITS SERVICES ON A GOOD OFFICES BASIS ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE (3) CONCLUSIONS, AND ACCORDING TO THE MODALITIES SET OUT IN THE AGREEMENT OF 26 JUNE 1989, ON THE BASIS OF CONSENSUS BETWEEN VIETNAM, THE FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES, AND THE UNHCR.

3 IF SUCH A CONSENSUS CANNOT BE ACHIEVED, ORDERLY REPATRIATION UNDER THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT OF 26 JUNE 1989 WILL BE RESUMED AT THE REQUEST OF THE BRITISH SIDE.

4 SUCH RETURNS WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE REQUEST OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND WILL BE IN ADDITION TO THOSE RETURNED UNDER THE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION PROGRAMME.

5 IN ALL CASES, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL USE ITS BEST ENDEAVOURS TO AVOID, BUT CANNOT EXCLUDE, THE USE OF MINIMUM FORCE.

> A NEW 6 THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE, AT ( TRANSIT CENTRE, TO BE AVAILABLE NOT LATER THAN 1 APRIL 1990, TO

THE BRITISH SIDE WILL ACCOMMODATE NOT FEWER THAN 350 PEOPLE. CONTRIBUTE US DOLLARS 150,000 TOWARDS ITS CONSTRUCTION COSTS.

7

IN THE PERIOD BEFORE 1 APRIL 1990, THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY. REPATRIATION FLIGHTS PER MONTH WILL BE INCREASED TO A MINIMUM

1

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