TNAG-2168-FCO40-3105-House-of-Commons-Foreign-Affairs-Committee-inquiry-into-Hong-1990 — Page 286

ÁID TO VIETNAM

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21. Since the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1978, Britain, in

common with other Western countries (except France), has not

provided bilateral aid or economic assistance to Vietnam. The USA

went further by imposing a formal embargo on Vietnam. Since Vietnam

withdrew its combat units from Cambodia in September 1989, we have

begum

consider been able to contemplate the further development of our relations

with Vietnam, including the provision of aid.

have

Lagre

of agreement

22. In December 1989, Ministers (agreed that, subject to Vietnamese Provided

W Viemem cooperation, on the r

of bost people.

that cermani aid Wohle he

context

The ret of repatriation. In of boat people from Hong Kong HMG was

The

This

LUBLA

rilling to provide an aid package to Vietnam comprising:

་་་་་་་་་་་

i) support for a special programme of NGO assistance to areas

receiving returned boat people and extension of the Joint Funding

Scheme to Vietnam;

ii) a limited technical cooperation programme, comprising training, Heads of Mission Gift Scheme and English Language Teaching;

iii)

a more constructive attitude towards the normalisation of

Vietnam's membership of the IMF, World Bank and Asian Development

Bank.

been

This ner has hea mande's vivil L

put forward

crite

in

diplomatic_exchanges,

in Felman 490

Vie main

and dury

-in

The 23. Our Ambassador in Hanoi outlined the offer to the Vietname. mid-December 1989 but received no response. Mr Maude repeated our

offer during his visit to Hanoi from 18-21 February. He secured an agreement on increasing the rate of return of volunteers from Hong

Kong. But, in the time available the Vietnamese were unable to

consult relevant Ministries and their leadership and agree there and

then to the orderly repatriation of non-volunteers in return for the British package of aid and assistance. Our Ambassador is pursuing Regotiations with a view to agreement by the end of February.

24. The Americans will certainly have reservations about the

development of UK/Vietnam relations in general and the resumption of

aid and assistance in particular. They have made it clear that they

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