NATIONAL 3 -(Spotlight Weekly)

US Steps In

For the first time in 10 years, the United States takes an initiative to settle the Bhutanese refugees problem

By KESHAB POUDEL

In the last decade, the Nepalese and Bhutanese governments have held several rounds of official talks on repatriating nearly 100,000 Bhutanese refugees in eastern Nepal, but the US government never commented on them. The US position was that it did not have a direct interest in the problem because Washington did not have diplomatic relations with Thimphu.

Last week that position changed. Just a few weeks before the next round of official talks between Nepal and Bhutan, the US government came out with a new proposal to find an end to the refugee imbroglio.

The US initiative, according to some diplomatic sources, represents a clear policy shift. Others, however, caution against drawing hasty conclusions.

The initiative was jointly unveiled by US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Karl Inderfurth and Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration of the US State Department Julia V. Taft at a press conference.

The US initiative is very significant as it could press the Bhutanese government to find a lasting solution the problem.

However, a former diplomat said: "It is too early to say anything on the US initiative. We have to wait and see whether the initiative will help Bhutanese refugees return home." The former diplomat added: "If the United States toes the Indian line, then the refugee imbroglio will continue."

Before leaving for Bhutan, Taft said she will forward the proposal to officials in Thimphu. "Our focus here is primarily to encourage parties engaged in the issue of the Bhutanese refugees. I am in Nepal to find a way to finalize an agreement on their repatriation," Taft said.

"The refugees have been here for the last eight or nine years. We believe, along with the international community, that every effort needs to be made to bring the situation to a conclusion."

Inderfurth termed the Bhutanese refugee problem an unfinished business of the Clinton administration. "We have a number of things in this administration which I call unfinished business and this issue is one of them."

He added: "A lot of progress has been made and we recognize that this is a bilateral issue, but it certainly has international dimensions as the UNHCR has been very much involved. We would like to see a successful conclusion."

According to high-level government sources, the United States forwarded a proposal for the repatriation of the refugees. They said the verification proposals was not much different from an earlier proposal floated by the UNHCR.

"There has been a series of bilateral meetings between Nepal and Bhutan and there is another one in December. We are offering not only financial assistance but also suggestions about how to accelerate the process of verification and return," Taft said.

The US assistant secretaries also met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and discussed issues of importance to both countries.

"We are here because there has been increased emphasis by the Clinton administration on South Asia over the last four years. There has been continuous visits by senior US officials giving high priority to the South Asian region," Inderfurth said.

"Although the visit of the two assistant secretaries was just a farewell call, the new administration can not overlook the initiatives of the two officials," said a former Nepalese diplomat. "Recent developments in Kashmir show how effective US initiatives can be to start negotiations."

"It is too early to predict whether the US will push humanitarian views or just back the Bhutanese line," said another former Nepalese diplomat.

The US officials also raised the issues of trafficking of women and children, democratization and Tibetan refugees and ways of countering terrorism.