URL: http://controller-ip:restconf-port/restconf/config/openconfig-network-instance:network-instances/network-instance/global-bgp/openconfig-network-instance:protocols/protocol/openconfig-policy-types:BGP/rib-id/bgp/neighbors/neighbor/bgp-peer-ip
Op: PUT
Payload:
<neighbor xmlns="urn:opendaylight:params:xml:ns:yang:bgp:openconfig-extensions">
<neighbor-address>bgp-peer-ip</neighbor-address>
<timers>
<config>
<hold-time>90</hold-time>
<connect-retry>60</connect-retry>
</config>
</timers>
<transport>
<config>
<remote-port>179</remote-port>
<passive-mode>false</passive-mode>
</config>
</transport>
<!-- uncomment this block to configure bgp peer to be external -->
<!--
<config>
<peer-type>EXTERNAL</peer-type>
<peer-as>bgp-peer-as</peer-as>
</config>
-->
<config>
<peer-type>INTERNAL</peer-type>
</config>
<route-reflector>
<config>
<route-reflector-client>false</route-reflector-client>
</config>
</route-reflector>
</neighbor>

NPE seen in the log:

2016-10-20 19:09:46,815 | ERROR | on-dispatcher-82 | DataTreeChangeListenerActor | 199 - org.opendaylight.controller.sal-distributed-datastore - 1.4.1.SNAPSHOT | Error notifying listener org.opendaylight.controller.md.sal.binding.impl.BindingClusteredDOMDataTreeChangeListenerAdapter@ab6a0ca
java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.opendaylight.protocol.bgp.rib.impl.config.BgpPeer.containsEqualConfiguration(BgpPeer.java:115)[288:org.opendaylight.bgpcep.bgp-rib-impl:0.6.1.SNAPSHOT]
at org.opendaylight.protocol.bgp.rib.impl.config.BgpDeployerImpl.onNeighborModified(BgpDeployerImpl.java:246)[288:org.opendaylight.bgpcep.bgp-rib-impl:0.6.1.SNAPSHOT]
at org.opendaylight.protocol.bgp.rib.impl.config.BgpDeployerImpl.onNeighborsChanged(BgpDeployerImpl.java:231)[288:org.opendaylight.bgpcep.bgp-rib-impl:0.6.1.SNAPSHOT]
at org.opendaylight.protocol.bgp.rib.impl.config.BgpDeployerImpl.onDataTreeChanged(BgpDeployerImpl.java:114)[288:org.opendaylight.bgpcep.bgp-rib-impl:0.6.1.SNAPSHOT]
at org.opendaylight.controller.md.sal.binding.impl.BindingDOMDataTreeChangeListenerAdapter.onDataTreeChanged(BindingDOMDataTreeChangeListenerAdapter.java:41)[169:org.opendaylight.controller.sal-binding-broker-impl:1.4.1.SNAPSHOT]
at org.opendaylight.controller.cluster.datastore.DataTreeChangeListenerActor.dataChanged(DataTreeChangeListenerActor.java:55)[199:org.opendaylight.controller.sal-distributed-datastore:1.4.1.SNAPSHOT]
at org.opendaylight.controller.cluster.datastore.DataTreeChangeListenerActor.handleReceive(DataTreeChangeListenerActor.java:37)[199:org.opendaylight.controller.sal-distributed-datastore:1.4.1.SNAPSHOT]
at org.opendaylight.controller.cluster.common.actor.AbstractUntypedActor.onReceive(AbstractUntypedActor.java:26)[193:org.opendaylight.controller.sal-clustering-commons:1.4.1.SNAPSHOT]
at akka.actor.UntypedActor$$anonfun$receive$1.applyOrElse(UntypedActor.scala:165)[181:com.typesafe.akka.actor:2.4.7]
at akka.actor.Actor$class.aroundReceive(Actor.scala:484)[181:com.typesafe.akka.actor:2.4.7]
at akka.actor.UntypedActor.aroundReceive(UntypedActor.scala:95)[181:com.typesafe.akka.actor:2.4.7]
at akka.actor.ActorCell.receiveMessage(ActorCell.scala:526)[181:com.typesafe.akka.actor:2.4.7]
at akka.actor.ActorCell.invoke(ActorCell.scala:495)[181:com.typesafe.akka.actor:2.4.7]
at akka.dispatch.Mailbox.processMailbox(Mailbox.scala:257)[181:com.typesafe.akka.actor:2.4.7]
at akka.dispatch.Mailbox.run(Mailbox.scala:224)[181:com.typesafe.akka.actor:2.4.7]
at akka.dispatch.Mailbox.exec(Mailbox.scala:234)[181:com.typesafe.akka.actor:2.4.7]
at scala.concurrent.forkjoin.ForkJoinTask.doExec(ForkJoinTask.java:260)[177:org.scala-lang.scala-library:2.11.8.v20160304-115712-1706a37eb8]
at scala.concurrent.forkjoin.ForkJoinPool$WorkQueue.runTask(ForkJoinPool.java:1339)[177:org.scala-lang.scala-library:2.11.8.v20160304-115712-1706a37eb8]
at scala.concurrent.forkjoin.ForkJoinPool.runWorker(ForkJoinPool.java:1979)[177:org.scala-lang.scala-library:2.11.8.v20160304-115712-1706a37eb8]
at scala.concurrent.forkjoin.ForkJoinWorkerThread.run(ForkJoinWorkerThread.java:107)[177:org.scala-lang.scala-library:2.11.8.v20160304-115712-1706a37eb8]