TEXT: U.S. STATEMENT AT GENEVA MEETING ON INDOCHINESE REFUGEES
(Asylum seekers deemed not refugees should return home)

Geneva -- The U.S. delegation joined the consensus of the seventh, and final, Steering Committee meeting for the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indochinese Refugees and reaffirmed its long-held position that Vietnamese asylum seekers deemed not to be refugees should return home.

During the March 5-6 meeting in Geneva, the U.S. delegation underscored that all returns, whether voluntary or orderly, must be carried out in safety and dignity, consistent with the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and without disproportionate use of force.

Following is the official text of a statement by the head of the U.S. delegation:

(begin official text)

STATEMENT OF CHARLES SYKES
HEAD OF THE U.S. DELEGATION
TO THE SEVENTH CPA STEERING COMMITTEE

GENEVA

MARCH 6, 1996

The U.S. government has been an active partner and leader in implementation of the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indochinese Refugees (CPA) since its inception in 1989 it is in that spirit that we have joined in the seventh, and final, CPA Steering Committee meeting held in Geneva yesterday and today (March 5-6, 1996). Delegations from over 20 countries and organizations that have been cooperating on providing asylum and appropriate solutions, including resettlement, for Indochinese asylum seekers gathered to consider the conclusion of the CPA framework in addition to recalling the CPA's many successes, the delegations considered in particular how to address the situation of the 36,000 Vietnamese deemed not to be refugees who presently remain in camps in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

The U.S. joined the consensus of the Steering Committee reaffirming its long-held position that asylum seekers deemed not to be refugees should return home.

The U.S. delegation underscored that all returns, whether voluntary or orderly, must be carried out in safety and dignity, consistent with the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and without disproportionate use of force. In this respect, the United States emphasized the importance of UNHCR's ensuring that any involvement in return programs be consistent with its humanitarian mandate.

The Vietnamese government reaffirmed its public announcement of March 2 that it was ready to cooperate with international agencies and other governments to resettle Vietnamese boat people who returned to Vietnam, but who were eligible and wanted to resettle in other countries.

The U.S. government welcomes the Vietnamese announcement and believes it provides an opportunity to interview in Vietnam upon their return home those non-refugees now in first asylum camps who may be of special humanitarian interest to the United States due to a wartime association or for other reasons. The U.S. government intends to offer expanded resettlement opportunities to such returnees under departure programs in Vietnam. The U.S. government hopes that the availability of such expanded resettlement opportunities in Vietnam will encourage those remaining non-refugees in the camps to return home voluntarily as soon as possible and, if they are eligible, receive a U.S. resettlement interview in Vietnam.

Since 1975, approximately one million Vietnamese and almost 250,000 Lao have resettled in the United States.

As we move through the end of the CPA framework and beyond, the CPA's underlying principles of humaneness, respect for international law and principles, and mutual cooperation should be preserved.

(end official text)