Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KATHMANDU836
2006-03-29 08:49:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
DANISH AND NORWEGIAN AMBASSADORS INTERESTED IN
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHKT #0836 0880849 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 290849Z MAR 06 FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0912 INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 3767 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 9446 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO IMMEDIATE 4383 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA IMMEDIATE 9466 RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING IMMEDIATE 4113 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 2362 RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN IMMEDIATE 0303 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO IMMEDIATE 0216 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 0335 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 0737 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 1096 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000836
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INS, PRM
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2016
TAGS: PREF PTER IN NP
SUBJECT: DANISH AND NORWEGIAN AMBASSADORS INTERESTED IN
BHUTANESE REFUGEES
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons, 1.4 (b/d).
Scandinavians Want to Push FM Pandey ...
-----------------------------------------
C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000836
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INS, PRM
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2016
TAGS: PREF PTER IN NP
SUBJECT: DANISH AND NORWEGIAN AMBASSADORS INTERESTED IN
BHUTANESE REFUGEES
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons, 1.4 (b/d).
Scandinavians Want to Push FM Pandey ...
--------------
1. (C) Danish Ambassador Finn Thilsted and Norwegian
Ambassador Tore Toreng separately met with the Ambassador to
discuss a joint approach to Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath
Pandey on internationalizing the Bhutanese refugee issue.
They suggested that the three of them together go in to
discuss Bhutanese refugee issues to determine what Nepal
meant by internationalizing the issue. The group could also
push Nepal to allow the resettlement of vulnerable refugee
cases and UNHCR's registration to begin. They agreed with
the Ambassador's suggestion that they invite the Australian
and Japanese Ambassadors to also participate.
... But Still Checking With Thimpu
--------------
2. (C) Thilsted noted that the Danish Minister for
Development Cooperation had met with Bhutanese Foreign
Minister Wangchuk in Thimpu on March 25. The Danish Minister
had planned to raise the necessity of addressing the
Bhutanese refugee matter and to let the Bhutanese know that
Denmark was prepared to help, but Thilsted had not yet
received a read-out. Toreng said that the Norwegian
Ambassador in New Delhi also planned to go to Thimpu, where
he would raise the issue with FM Wangchuk and offer Norwegian
assistance with the transportation of the refugees back to
Bhutan. The Ambassador cautioned that Bhutan could use the
Norwegian offer to further delay the process. Toreng
explained that Norway wanted to confirm that Bhutan did not
want to cooperate, but Norway did not want prolong the issue.
Need To Involve India
--------------
3. (C) Ambassador Thilsted suggested that it was important to
consult with the government of India on our plans. He
explained that internationalizing the process would result in
revisiting the 1990-1991 expulsion of the refugees from
Bhutan, which could not have happened without the consent
(and assistance) of India. Thilsted and the Ambassador
agreed that the GOI also had a role to play in guaranteeing
that the Bhutanese did not expel the remaining 125,000-plus
ethnic Nepalese living in Bhutan.
Comment
--------------
4. (C) Although there seems to be growing agreement about the
need to internationalize the Bhutanese refugee issue to come
up with a durable solution, other governments - including
Nepal, Denmark, and Norway - are hesitant to move before
making absolutely certain that the bilateral process is dead
and that Bhutan does not intend to cooperate or take any
refugees back.
MORIARTY
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INS, PRM
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2016
TAGS: PREF PTER IN NP
SUBJECT: DANISH AND NORWEGIAN AMBASSADORS INTERESTED IN
BHUTANESE REFUGEES
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons, 1.4 (b/d).
Scandinavians Want to Push FM Pandey ...
--------------
1. (C) Danish Ambassador Finn Thilsted and Norwegian
Ambassador Tore Toreng separately met with the Ambassador to
discuss a joint approach to Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath
Pandey on internationalizing the Bhutanese refugee issue.
They suggested that the three of them together go in to
discuss Bhutanese refugee issues to determine what Nepal
meant by internationalizing the issue. The group could also
push Nepal to allow the resettlement of vulnerable refugee
cases and UNHCR's registration to begin. They agreed with
the Ambassador's suggestion that they invite the Australian
and Japanese Ambassadors to also participate.
... But Still Checking With Thimpu
--------------
2. (C) Thilsted noted that the Danish Minister for
Development Cooperation had met with Bhutanese Foreign
Minister Wangchuk in Thimpu on March 25. The Danish Minister
had planned to raise the necessity of addressing the
Bhutanese refugee matter and to let the Bhutanese know that
Denmark was prepared to help, but Thilsted had not yet
received a read-out. Toreng said that the Norwegian
Ambassador in New Delhi also planned to go to Thimpu, where
he would raise the issue with FM Wangchuk and offer Norwegian
assistance with the transportation of the refugees back to
Bhutan. The Ambassador cautioned that Bhutan could use the
Norwegian offer to further delay the process. Toreng
explained that Norway wanted to confirm that Bhutan did not
want to cooperate, but Norway did not want prolong the issue.
Need To Involve India
--------------
3. (C) Ambassador Thilsted suggested that it was important to
consult with the government of India on our plans. He
explained that internationalizing the process would result in
revisiting the 1990-1991 expulsion of the refugees from
Bhutan, which could not have happened without the consent
(and assistance) of India. Thilsted and the Ambassador
agreed that the GOI also had a role to play in guaranteeing
that the Bhutanese did not expel the remaining 125,000-plus
ethnic Nepalese living in Bhutan.
Comment
--------------
4. (C) Although there seems to be growing agreement about the
need to internationalize the Bhutanese refugee issue to come
up with a durable solution, other governments - including
Nepal, Denmark, and Norway - are hesitant to move before
making absolutely certain that the bilateral process is dead
and that Bhutan does not intend to cooperate or take any
refugees back.
MORIARTY