US embassy cable - 05KATHMANDU2208

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002208 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SA/INS, PRM 
NSC FOR GREEN 
LONDON FOR BELL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/07/2015 
TAGS: PREF, PREL, PHUM, BT, NP, Bhutanese Refugees 
SUBJECT:  DISCUSSING POSSIBLE BHUTANESE REFUGEE RETURNS 
 
REF: STATE 179097 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons 1.4 (b/d) 
 
1. (U) This is an action request cable.  Please see para. 6. 
 
Reaching Agreement with Bhutan ... 
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2. (C)  On October 6, the Ambassador discussed with Foreign 
Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey His Majesty's Government of 
Nepal's (HMGN's) expectations regarding the agreement Pandey 
reached with Bhutan on the margins of UNGA about the returns 
of Category 1 and 4 Bhutanese refugees in Khudunabari Camp to 
Bhutan (ref A).  Pandey explained that although he still 
suspected that neither Bhutan nor India wanted to solve the 
Bhutanese refugee problem, he hoped that Bhutan (RGOB) would 
implement the agreement.  Pandey said he had had two meetings 
with the RGOB Foreign Minister.  In the first meeting, Pandey 
had assured his counterpart that Nepal wanted a stable and 
prosperous Bhutan; there were indications that terrorists had 
already infiltrated the refugee camps, so it was in Bhutan's 
interest to solve the problem now and not let it fester. 
Nepal wanted to build trust between the two countries, he had 
stressed; after the two countries implemented the already 
agreed-upon decisions and moved to the next phase, Nepal 
would "look after Bhutan's interests" (NFI). 
 
3. (C) Pandey told the Ambassador that in the following 
meeting, the Bhutanese FM, after consulting with Thimpu, had 
delivered a letter he had signed committing the RGOB to 
immediately implement the decisions about returning 
Categories 1 and 4.  RGOB would then work with HMGN to 
develop a plan for the other two categories.  Pandey said 
that he had told the Bhutanese Foreign Minister that Nepal 
would guarantee the security of Bhutanese officials visiting 
the camps.  Pandey said he had briefed the King, who was 
happy about these developments, but had not yet described the 
details of the agreement to Nepal's Cabinet.  Pandey noted 
the Bhutanese FM had invited him to Thimpu, but Pandey would 
delay traveling there until after the decision on 
repatriation had been implemented. 
 
... And Then Third Country Resettlement Possible 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
4. (C)  FM Pandey remarked that after repatriation of this 
first tranche, Nepal would consider third country 
resettlement for the remaining Bhutanese refugees.  He 
commented that a few hundred Bhutanese refugees might wish to 
live in Nepal, but if the others wished to go anywhere, that 
would be acceptable to Nepal.  Pandey also undertook to allow 
the UN's verification and profiling exercise to start as soon 
as Bhutan started implementing the agreement.  Until then, 
Pandey did not want to do anything to indicate to Bhutan that 
Nepal was prepared to move ahead on resettlement.  He 
stressed that it was key that RGOB accept some refugees back 
before third country resettlement began; otherwise, the RGOB 
might at some point be tempted to expel from Bhutan 
additional Bhutanese of Nepalese ethnicity. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
5. (C) A solution to the Bhutanese refugee situation finally 
could be emerging.  Post believes that we, along with other 
concerned countries, including India, should press both HMGN 
and RGOB to start repatriation as soon as possible.  We doubt 
that many Category 4 refugees would choose to return to 
Bhutan to face trial (in many cases for their political 
beliefs), but the return of Category 1 refugees would be at 
least a symbolic statement that the international community 
had not allowed Bhutan to get away with ethnic cleansing. 
 
 
Action Request 
-------------- 
 
6. (C) Post requests that Department pass the message to 
Thimpu that HMGN is enthusiastic about restarting the process 
and that the USG supports the agreement and would like to see 
early progress on the repatriation of Category 1 and 4 
refugees of the Khudunabari Camp to Bhutan. 
MORIARTY