Stalemate Reported in Negotiations on Asia’s Boat People

GENEVA — Negotiations on what to do with the Vietnamese boat people scattered around Asia have come to a stalemate, a U.N. official said Friday.

“We are exactly at the same point--I must be perfectly frank with you--as in January,” said Sergio Vieira de Mello, who has been coordinating the negotiations for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

But High Commissioner Thorvald Stoltenberg has not given up hope and will continue to seek a solution, Vieira de Mello told a news conference.

The United States and Vietnam oppose forced repatriation of the refugees, but most other nations favor sending home those who are not considered to be persecuted but are seeking economic opportunity.