INDIA SUPPORTS REPATRIATION OF CATEGORY 1

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 007000 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2014 TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM IN NP BT UNHCR SUBJECT: INDIA SUPPORTS REPATRIATION OF CATEGORY 1 BHUTANESE REFUGEES REF: STATE 232445 Classified By: Ambassador David C. Mulford, Reasons 1.4 (B,D). ¶1. (C) Polcouns and Poloff met on November 1 with MEA Joint Secretary (Nepal/Bhutan) Ranjit Rae to brief on the strategy SIPDIS recently outlined by King Wangchuck to A/S Dewey to repatriate Category 1 refugees from the Khudunabari camp (Reftel). Rae replied that the GOI welcomes this strategy as a way break the deadlock, and is hopeful it could dove-tail to other solutions to the problem. He indicated that King Wangchuck had described our initiative to the Indian delegation during a recent royal investiture ceremony in Thimphu and appreciated the early US consultation. He was particularly curious about Nepalese reactions. Rae mentioned in passing that Category 3 refugees from Nepal could also be included in the initial plan (in order to remove them from the equation),but did not press this point. ¶2. (C) GOI has also pressed the GON to allow UNHCR to conduct profiling and re-registration surveys, Rae said, but Kathmandu remains concerned that this process will lead to local integration of large numbers of refugees. Responding to reftel, he indicated that New Delhi would weigh in to support the initiative. ¶3. (C) The Joint Secretary expressed concern with the strategy of having the Nepalese and Bhutanese Ambassadors to India draft letters specifying the details of an agreement on the grounds that the two have not talked to each other about the issue. The Nepalese Ambassador has not commented publicly on refugee matters, and the prior ambassador was much more personally involved, said Rae. The King of Nepal will visit New Delhi in late November and might discuss the refugee situation with GOI interlocutors during the trip. Rae believed the Nepalese King was generally interested in resolving the issue, and he might play a role similar to that of the King of Bhutan in moving the process forward. ¶4. (C) Concluding, Rae stressed the importance of ensuring that the UN, EU and other Friends of Bhutan states do not derail the process by harping on the conditions of return and other controversial issues. He urged the US to encourage the Europeans and UN to support the process and not to make public statements that could cause problems. MULFORD