Kathmandu, October 31:

Bhutanese leader Tek Nath Rizal today said that if the United States was really concerned about the welfare of the Bhutanese people, it should try to hold tripartite talks involving India, Nepal and Bhutan.

“If the US is really serious, it should hold a conference involving India, Nepal and Bhutan. The problem cannot be solved by taking some refugees,” Rizal said while speaking at the Reporters’ Club Nepal.

Saying that many are keen to return to Bhutan, Rizal expressed commitment to return to Bhutan and added that there was chance of more Bhutanese of Nepali origin being thrown out of Bhutan. Rizal also said that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has assured him that Nepal would make it a point to stress that Bhutanese in Nepal should get to vote as true citizens of the nation at the 2008 general election.