Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09OSLO692
2009-11-06 15:31:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Oslo
Cable title:  

NORWEGIANS RECEPTIVE ON BHUTAN REFUGEES AND CORE

Tags:  BT IN NP PGOV PREF PREL NO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0016
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNY #0692 3101531
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 061531Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 0121
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0451
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7941
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1081
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN PRIORITY 2570
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 3086
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 4418
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0405
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1373
C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000692 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PRM/ANE: RKINSEY; KATHMANDU FOR M WEINBERG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2019
TAGS: BT IN NP PGOV PREF PREL NO
SUBJECT: NORWEGIANS RECEPTIVE ON BHUTAN REFUGEES AND CORE
GROUP GOALS

REF: STATE 113863

Classified By: Political and Economic Counselor Cherrie S. Daniels for
reasons 1.4(b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000692

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PRM/ANE: RKINSEY; KATHMANDU FOR M WEINBERG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2019
TAGS: BT IN NP PGOV PREF PREL NO
SUBJECT: NORWEGIANS RECEPTIVE ON BHUTAN REFUGEES AND CORE
GROUP GOALS

REF: STATE 113863

Classified By: Political and Economic Counselor Cherrie S. Daniels for
reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (C) Poloff met on November 6 with Lasse Bjorn Johannessen,
Senior Advisor in the Asia Section of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA),to deliver reftel points. Johannessen recently
returned from a tour as the Deputy Chief of Mission for the
Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi. Johannessen said that the
Bhutanese refugee issue was one that had been brought up
several times by the Norwegian Ambassador with the government
of Bhutan (GOB) on his three visits there. The typical
response given by the GOB was that the refugees were not
Bhutanese citizens, and that political problems with the
government of Nepal prevented the GOB from having a proper
dialogue about the issue--excuses which Johannessen
characterized as without merit.


2. (C) Johannessen said the Norwegian Counselor for Health
Issues resident in New Delhi would be going to Nepal soon, to
present the GOB with $300,000 which would push a health fund
established by many countries over the $24 million mark,
which in turn would allow the GOB to begin spending the
income from that fund on vaccinations. Johannessen said that
this might give him some leverage to at least raise the
issue.


3. (C) Regarding reftel demarche points, Johannessen was
receptive, but noncommittal and clearly somewhat pessimistic,
commenting that he could not understand why we were
interested in the plight of these refugees. He asked how
many refugees the U.S. had accepted, as he said he recalled
we were going to accept "at least 20,000," but noted that
only 20,000 had been accepted overall. He did say that the
Norwegian government would certainly be interested in hearing
more from Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Witten during
the Core Group meetings we are setting up in Kathmandu and
New Delhi.
WHITE