Nepal-Bhutan talks on refugee crisis postponed
The 16th round of talks between Nepal and Bhutan on the protracted refugee crisis have been postponed.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister KP Sharma Oli told reporters after a meeting with a European Union Troika at the ministry that the bilateral meeting slated for November 21-22 has been postponed owing to the political developments in Nepal.
Talking to Nepalnews, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yadav Khanal, said no specific reason has been given for the postponement of the bilateral talks. “The minister has simply informed us that the meeting has been postponed. No new date has been fixed,” he said.
DPM Oli was to take part in the bilateral talks in Thimpu amidst confusion over the allocation of portfolios in the nascent interim government as well as the uncertainty created by the resettlement offer of the US and some European countries.
Even as Nepal sees the repatriation of the Bhutanese refugees to their homeland as the first option, the US last month declared that it was ready to take in up to 65,000 out of 106,000 refugees living in Eastern Nepal.
The postponement of the Nepal-Bhutan meeting coincides with the ongoing Nepal visit of US Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, who arrived here after touring around South Asian nations including Bhutan.
15 rounds of bilateral talks between Nepal and Bhutan failed to resolve the 16 years old refugee crisis. nepalnews.com mk Nov 16 06
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