17.
Now that we have actually given an aid programme to the whole
of Vietnam under the Joint Funding Scheme, and a special aid programme for
the areas of North Vietnam that the refugees were coming from, is it not
possible to persuade the United States Government that actual recognition
of Vietnam and normalising of relationships and economic flows would do
more to create a situation in which you would have no more boat people and
then we could actually voluntarily return many of the people in Hong Kong
under very much better circumstances than under a mandatory system?
(Mr Maude) I discussed precisely these issues when I was in Washington
three or four weeks ago and we went over the ground with people in the
administration there and made the point that there is a process of economic
reform going on in Vietnam. I believe from what I have seen in Vietnam
myself - and I know you have a good deal of experience there as well it
is the sort of country where a small amount of aid can do quite a
disproportionate amount of good and reinforce the reform process.
not prepared at this stage to take it further because there is an
international obligation on Vietnam to accept back its own people and until
we are satisfied that that international obligation is being met it does
not seem to us to be right to start a full policy of aid.
18.
We are
But are they not in a Catch-22 situation, that if they agree
to accept back people under mandatory systems they feel they never will get
America to normalise relations?
(Mr Maude) That is a very odd judgment if that is the judgment they
have made because at the moment they are imposing some conditions. They
are not excluding mandatory repatriation but are imposing conditions on the
way it is carried out, and although they are imposing those conditions they
are still not making any progress in getting American aid or recognition.
So it may be the judgment they are making, but if so, it is wrong.
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