VZCZCXRO0061
PP RUEHCI RUEHCN
DE RUEHKT #0447/01 0591116
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 281116Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5103
INFO RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 5057
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 0930
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 5733
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 5427
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 3743
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1062
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 0344
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 3194
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1528
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 2457

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000447 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2017 
TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV CH BT NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: NO OBJECTION TO RESETTLEMENT OF BHUTANESE 
 
REFUGEES 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 317 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty for reasons 1.4(b/d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) In separate meetings on February 26, the Ambassador 
briefed Foreign Minister K.P. Oli and Home Minister K.P. 
Sitaula on Prime Minister Koirala's February 7 approval of 
U.S. plans to resettle Bhutanese refugees (reftel).  Both 
ministers were noncommittal, but raised no objections to the 
U.S. plan.  The Ambassador also reiterated the long-standing 
U.S. request that Nepal allow Tibetans with U.S. immigration 
benefits to depart.  The Foreign Minister indicated that no 
movement on Tibetan refugees would occur until after 
Bhutanese refugee resettlement began.  The Home Minister, on 
the other hand, appeared more willing to allow small groups 
of Tibetan following-to-join cases to depart for the U.S. 
The Ambassador also asked both Ministers to expedite the 
departure of approximately 50 urban refugees that the U.S. 
had approved for resettlement. 
 
Bringing the Foreign and Home Ministers Up To Speed 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2. (C) In separate meetings with the Foreign and Home 
Ministers on February 26, the Ambassador recapped his 
February 7 meeting with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala 
at which the PM approved third-country resettlement of 
Bhutanese refugees.  He informed the ministers that the U.S. 
intended to move ahead with resettlement plans on that basis. 
 The Ambassador also provided both ministers with copies of 
PRM Assistant Secretary Sauerbrey's letter to the Prime 
Minister as well as the U.S. resettlement fact sheet.  He 
explained that identifying an implementing partner and 
setting up a processing office for resettlement would take 
two months or more and agreed that no public announcements 
would be made for some weeks yet.  However, the Ambassador 
noted, recent security problems in the Sanischere camp 
between refugees and local Nepalese highlighted the need to 
move forward quickly with resolving the Bhutanese refugee 
issue. 
 
Possible Nepal-Bhutan Meeting in late March 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Foreign Minister Oli replied that he first wanted to 
conclude one more meeting with the Royal Government of Bhutan 
(RGOB) before beginning a large-scale resettlement program. 
FM Oli objected to the RGOB's perceived disinterest in 
resolving the refugee situation, questioning how Bhutan could 
honestly democratize without resolving the lives of nearly 20 
percent of its population.  Oli reiterated Nepal's position 
that the refugee issue was one between the RGOB and its 
people, not Nepal, which he said had drawn criticism from 
Prime Minister Wangchuk.  Still recovering from his illness, 
Oli said he would return to Bangkok for a medical checkup on 
March 12, after which he might visit Thimpu to meet with his 
RGOB counterpart. 
 
Home Minister On Board 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Home Minister Sitaula appeared to accept the proposed 
U.S. plan and asked whether donor countries would be able to 
resettle the entire refugee population. The Ambassador 
replied that between the U.S., Canada and Australia, the vast 
majority of refugees could be resettled, but not all.  Some 
refugees might be easily integrated locally due to family 
ties in Nepal, he added.  The Ambassador looked forward to 
working with the Home Ministry on procedural issues related 
to a large-scale resettlement program. 
 
Maoists Do Not Support Third-Country Resettlement 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
KATHMANDU 00000447  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) FM Oli commented that the Maoists did not support 
third-country resettlement. That was precisely why we would 
like to move now, the Ambassador said, to remove the 
possibility that the Maoists could block a comprehensive 
solution.  Oli feared that if he were to move forward with a 
Bhutanese refugee resettlement program, the Maoists might 
attempt to reverse the program after entering an interim 
government, particularly if Oli did not retain his Cabinet 
seat.  The Ambassador acknowledged this risk, but believed 
the Bhutanese refugees were not a priority issue for the 
Maoists, who were more concerned about positioning themselves 
for the upcoming elections. 
 
No Traction on Tibetan Asylees 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C)  The Ambassador again raised the long-standing U.S. 
request that the Government of Nepal (GON) allow roughly 180 
Tibetan asylees with U.S. immigration benefits to depart 
Nepal and join their families in the U.S.  FM Oli was 
reluctant to tackle two refugee issues at one time, opining 
that Nepal's movement to resolve the Bhutanese refugee issue 
would upset the Indians while allowing Tibetan resettlement 
would anger the Chinese.  (Comment. Despite Oli's concerns, 
Indian Ambassador Mukherjee seemed pleased that a 
comprehensive solution for the Bhutanese refugees was on the 
horizon.  End Comment.)  Sitaula, however, appeared more 
willing to consider this issue, suggesting that small groups 
of the Tibetan asylees might be allowed to depart Nepal at a 
time. 
 
Home Ministry Opposes Designation of Urban Refugees 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶7. (C)  The Ambassador requested the GON to allow roughly 50 
urban refugees whom the U.S. had approved for resettlement to 
depart Nepal.  Both ministers appeared unfamiliar with the 
issue, but Home Secretary Mainali, who was present for the 
Ambassador's meeting with Sitaula, replied that the GON had 
serious reservations about the way UNHCR had identified these 
individuals as refugees without properly informing the Home 
Ministry.  "Nepal does not want to be a magnet for refugees," 
Mainali added.  The Ambassador explained that the group 
comprised Pakistani, Iraqi and Somali refugees and questioned 
the GON interest in keeping them in Nepal.  (Note.  The U.S. 
approved this group of refugees for resettlement in December 
2006, but so far the GON has refused to issue them exit 
permits.  In earlier meetings, Home Ministry officials had 
indicated that Nepal did not want UNHCR to process any urban 
refugees whatsoever.  End Note.)  In an aside to Mainali, 
Sitaula asked what these urban refugees were doing in Nepal 
and said "let's send them." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (C)  Having recently returned to work after a prolonged 
illness, FM Oli seemed unaware of the Prime Minister's 
decision to proceed with third-country resettlement of 
Bhutanese refugees.  Oli himself admitted that he had not 
spoken much with the Prime Minister in recent weeks, other 
than short conversations about the peace process.  Oli also 
seemed to think that he might not be part of an interim 
government.  However, neither Oli nor Sitaula raised 
objections to U.S. resettlement plans.  On Tibetan refugees, 
the primary obstacle appears to be from within the Foreign, 
not Home, Ministry.  We will continue to push for their 
departure of the Tibetans.  The delayed departure of urban 
refugees to the U.S. appears largely to be a bureaucratic, 
not political, obstacle that we hope can be overcome in the 
near future. 
MORIARTY