Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-07-Speech-4-163"
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"en.20000907.7.4-163"2
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"Mr President, we in the European Parliament's SAARC delegation had an opportunity in April to see for ourselves the conditions in which tens of thousands of refugees have been living for years in the camps in eastern Nepal. The assistance from the European Union and the international organisations is quite respectable, but no one can guarantee long-term financial aid at that level. It is high time that substantial agreements were reached.
Bhutan and Nepal are not neighbours, but they are close to each other in spirit. Both are kingdoms, both have parliamentary systems with short histories, one is Buddhist and the other is Hindu. Both are aware that lasting conflict will paralyse their national and economic progress. Bhutan criticises Nepal on the grounds that its constant changes of government make it incapable of action. That has changed. Nepal accuses Bhutan of not being ready to adopt effective solutions. I hope that will change.
The undertakings given by the Bhutanese Foreign Minister when he visited us in Brussels on 8 June have been honoured, as crucial negotiations began mid-year. There is agreement on the four categories of people living in the refugee camps. However, there has to be a common definition of the term ‘family’ for the purposes of the compromise put forward by the UNHCR, which Mr Collins has referred to. Nepal has already agreed.
We are also appealing to India to stop primly holding back. It is linked with both neighbours through agreements and economic ties. There are 6 million Nepalese working in India. The borders are open, and there are no asylum problems. I am very familiar with the charter stipulating that bilateral conflicts should not be resolved at SAARC level. Nevertheless, the largest democracy in the world does have the greatest influence in the region and bears some humanitarian responsibility here. Some movement is discernible. The Group of the European People's Party and European Democrats is putting its faith in far-sighted people of good will in Thimphu, in Kathmandu, and also in Delhi. We are hoping that the talks in New York between the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Prime Ministers of Bhutan and Nepal will lead to a decisive breakthrough."@en1
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