§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reply he will make to the request of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on 18th October to 31 countries, including Great Britain, to provide resettlement opportunities for 1,000 of the refugees in Chile who wish to emigrate.
§ Mr. AmeryMy right hon. Friend replied to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on 2nd November as follows
Thank you for your telegram of 22 October in which you appealed to the British Government to consider offering permanent resettlement opportunities to as many as possible of the refugees now registered with your organisation in Chile. I am conscious of the difficult and distressing situation which has arisen in Chile and of the need for the resettlement of those who feel unable to return to their home countries in Latin America. This appeal has therefore been carefully considered by the British Government.Her Majesty's Government feel strongly that in principle the problem of refugees in Latin America should be capable of solution within the framework of the conventions on asylum signed by the governments of the Organisation of American States in Caracas in 1954. Furthermore, Her Majesty's Government is in no position to accept refugees from Chile while having to turn away Commonwealth citizens. Nevertheless, in view of the humanitarian terms in which your appeal has been made, the British Government is willing exceptionally to consider some applications on an individual basis from those who express as their first choice their wish to be resettled in the United Kingdom and who have some ties with the United Kingdom.