TNAG-2402-FCO40-3489-Vietnamese-migrants-Orderly-Repatriation-Programme-(ORP)-1992 — Page 17

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for Vestresse Pyrante

HKA

020

14

Mr Pellew

North America Department

NEW US DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION

From:

Sir John Coles

Date:

14 July 1992

CC:

Mr Beamish

Mr Ricketts, HKD

Qlapen Mr Hewitt, SCA)

Ah

аж

ли

Dr Marlan

1.

morning.

2.

Mr Timothy Deal paid his opening call on me this

I gave him a general account of my talks in Peking about the Hong Kong Airport.

3.

At his request I also described the problem of Vietnamese migrants. I said that there was still an enormous camp population in Hong Kong but that we had now developed a routine for returning small numbers to Vietnam at regular intervals and would continue this in the future. It was the only possible solution. We knew the US position but were grateful that recent public statements had been muted. No doubt the US's own difficulties over Haiti were a factor in this.

4.

I said that I attached importance to close contact with the State Department on Asian issues. I had met Dick Solomon's successor, Mr Bill Clark, on my last visit to Washington. Mr Deal implied that Clark would be an improvement over Solomon. He would be closer to Mr Baker and would not allow himself to be sucked into Indo-Chinese affairs to the exclusion of other Asian matters; in particular the US's relations with Japan.

5.

On the US sale of A4s to Argentina I said that I had noted with satisfaction the statement in Mr Cheney's letter of 9 July to Mr Rifkind, that he was "committed to resolving your concerns about the Emerson fire control radar and other points

I said that the State Department had recently suggested another round of talks at senior official level, we were considering this.

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