FOREIGN MINISTER COMMENTS ON JULY 14 CORE GROUP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001993 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2016 TAGS: PREF PGOV PREL BT IN NP SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER COMMENTS ON JULY 14 CORE GROUP MEETING REF: SECSTATE 118533 Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On July 25, the Ambassador met with Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister K.P. Oli to give a read-out of the July 14 Core Group meeting and to confirm points on Bhutanese and Tibetan refugees (reftel). Oli confirmed the Government of Nepal's (GON) commitment to allow resettlement of the 16 vulnerable Bhutanese refugees and to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to conduct a "re-registration" of refugees in the Bhutanese refugee camps beginning October 8. Oli expressed some concern about the proposed resettlement of 5,000 Tibetans and said it was an issue the GON would continue to consider. End Summary. GON Moving Forward On Bhutanese Issues -------------- ¶2. (C) On July 25, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister K.P. Oli confirmed to the Ambassador that the GON would allow UNHCR to conduct a "re-registration" in the Bhutanese refugee camps beginning October 8. Oli also confirmed that the GON was committed to the resettlement of the 16 vulnerable cases to the U.S. and Canada as soon as possible. Oli emphasized that he has been trying to explain to people that allowing the resettlement of these 16 cases on humanitarian grounds was a separate issue from allowing large-scale third-country resettlement of Bhutanese refugees. Oli expressed concern about the current opinions coming from the Bhutanese refugee leaders who have begun to hold demonstrations for a "repatriation only" solution to the Bhutanese issue. He believed that many in the Bhutanese community have seen the democratic changes that have taken place in Nepal, and have been inspired to create the same changes in Bhutan. Oli stated that he was unconvinced that the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) actually wanted to solve the refugee problem in Nepal, and said that "the 21st century will come and go without a solution if we wait for Bhutan." ¶3. (C) Oli informed us that he planned to meet with the RGOB Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the next South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting to find out whether the RGOB is serious about finding a solution to the Bhutanese refugee issue. Oli stated that, if the RGOB is not serious, then the GON "must find alternatives to repatriation because we cannot wait another 16 years." Moving More Slowly On Tibetan Issues -------------- ¶4. (C) Oli told the Ambassador that there could be "problems" with the proposed resettlement of 5,000 Tibetans to the U.S. Oli noted that the PRC Ambassador had visited him many times to express reservations about resettlement. Oli also told us that the PRC was "furious" that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued travel documents and exit permits to Tibetans. Oli assured us that the GON would continue to issue exit permits to Tibetans on humanitarian grounds, including for family reunification and for medical treatment. The Ambassador pushed hard on the Tibetan issue, and asked if perhaps we could start quietly resettling a small number of "pre-1989" cases in order to begin movement on Tibetan refugees while still allaying fears of a "magnet effect". (Note: Up until 1989, the GON granted refugee status to Tibetans fleeing the Tibet Autonomous Region.) While he did not directly respond to the question, Oli said there would be more discussion on the issue in the future. Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) The GON appears to be moving on Bhutanese refugee issues, but is coming under heavy pressure from Beijing on Tibetan refugee issues. It appears that Ambassador Acharya may have been confused in New York when he said that Nepal would allow the 5,000 Tibetans to resettle in the U.S. We KATHMANDU 00001993 002 OF 002 need to keep up the pressure on both of these issues if we are to convince the GON to move forward on both Bhutanese and Tibetan refugees. MORIARTY