Nepal government has remained non-committal to a call by a US congressmen to allow Tibetans to resettle in the US and to adhere to "the Gentleman's Agreement" to allow Tibetans a safe passage to India.
US officials have repeatedly raised their concerns to Nepali officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs and have urged them to introduce a comprehensive refugee law for "a durable solution" to the problem, according to Nepali officials.
"We have realised the need for a refugee law to address the persistent problem on the Tibetan issue," Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha told a select group of journalists on January 15, at a briefing at his residence.
In separate letters addressed to President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on December 9, three US Congressmen--James P Mc Govern, Frank R Wolf and Joseph R Pitts--have requested Nepal "to work with the US government to implement a program that would allow the resettlement of the Tibetan refugees in the United States".
Nepali officials say Nepal has never shied away from giving a safe passage to genuine Tibetan refugees and granting them travel rights to the third country.
The letters, sent through Nepal's mission in US, states that "they were deeply concerned over Nepal's lack of a compherensive refugee law, delays in the transit of Tibetan refugees through Nepal, and failure to work with the US government to implement a program that would allow the resettlement of he Tibetan refugees in the US."
