Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03KATHMANDU1571
2003-08-20 05:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: AUGUST

Tags:  OPRC PGOV PREL KMDR NP 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 001571 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC PGOV PREL KMDR NP
SUBJECT: WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: AUGUST
12 TO 18, 2003

- STATE FOR NP, AC, PM
- STATE FOR IN/R/MR
- STATE FOR SA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO
- STATE FOR SA/PPD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 001571

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC PGOV PREL KMDR NP
SUBJECT: WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: AUGUST
12 TO 18, 2003

- STATE FOR NP, AC, PM
- STATE FOR IN/R/MR
- STATE FOR SA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO
- STATE FOR SA/PPD


1. PEACE TALKS

-- Third round of peace talks: The
government conceded (8/17) two key demands
of the Maoists an interim government that
would also include them and a round table
conference but rejected their demand for a
constituent assembly to draft a new
constitution. The Maoists said they were
disappointed by the government's proposal.
"You cannot resolve the problems the country
has been facing for the last 234 years on
the basis of the government's proposal," Dr.
Baburam Bhattarai commented. Dr. Bhattarai
said the chances of the talks' success were
getting dimmer. The Maoists called the
government's proposal a "hopeless offer and
an attempt aimed at mere cosmetic changes in
the present political system." Dr.
Bhattarai expressed his unhappiness over
what he said was the government's total
silence on the issue of restructuring the
Royal Nepal Army (RNA) and their earlier
demand that the king should have nothing to
do with it. (Pro-India "Himalayan Times,"
E/D and centrist "Kathmandu Post," E/D,
8/18)

-- Prachanda's reaction: If the government's
concept paper is its final stance, everybody
should know, the talks has failed, Maoist
leader Prachanda said Sunday. (Independent
"Nepal Samacharpatra," V/D, 8/18)

-- Parties unimpressed: The political agenda
the government revealed Sunday has failed to
impress the political parties, the portrayed
third party in the peace process. ("The
Himalayan Times," 8/18)

-- Parties' stance over talks: Nepali
Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala urged
the government talks team that whatever
agreement is reached between the two sides
must be endorsed by a reinstated parliament.
("The Himalayan Times," 8/17) Madhav Kumar
Nepal, general secretary of the UML,
disclosed that the agitating political
parties were ready to cooperate with the
government-Maoists peace negotiation if the
dissolved House of Representatives was
reinstated or an all-party government
formed. (Centrist "Kantipur," V/D, 8/17)
-- Maintain bottom line: Maoist students:
The Maoists' student wing warned of revolt
against the party leaders if the bottom line

of the elections for the constituent
assembly was not maintained. (Media reports,
8/17)

-- Government to be flexible: The King has
extended best wishes for the good results of
the talks. The government is ready to be
flexible on all issues except on the issues
of king and democracy. ("Nepal
Samacharpatra," 8/16)

-- Talks team leaders appointed: The
government has designated Finance Minister
Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani as the convener
of the government talks team, whereas
Minister of Information and Communications
Kamal Thapa has been designated as member-
secretary of the team. ("The Himalayan

SIPDIS
Times," 8/16)

-- Maoists must lay down arms: Indian envoy:
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran
Thursday asked the Maoist rebels to lay down
their arms and come to people to pave the
way for a lashing peace in the country.
Ambassador Saran's assertions, which come in
the wake of Maoist's visibly soft and
appeasing approach towards India and
strident hardline against the U.S., assume
significance in the context of "global axis"
against terrorism. ("The Kathmandu Post,"
8/15)

-- Government sincere and truthful: PM
Thapa: Prime Minster Surya Bahadur Thapa
said (8/12) the government was fully aware
of the price that the country woul
d have to
pay if there was any deceit by any side in
conduct of the peace process.

"The government will be fully sincere in the
upcoming peace talks, and expects the same
from the Maoists as well as the political
parties. Any deceit will land the country
in a deep crisis," Thapa told "The Kathmandu
Post" during an informal chat reiterating
that "there is absolutely no truth, not even
an iota, that the security forces will try
to kill or arrest the Maoist negotiating
team members." "I am fully aware of the
implications of such foolish acts" and
nothing could be far from the truth than
this kind of imagination, he said. ("The
Kathmandu Post," 8/13)

-- Peace talks: " Foreign involvement is a
double-edged sword. Despite post 9/11
convergence of geopolitical interest in the
region, India and China are still suspicious
of increased American presence in the
Himalaya. Both have ruled out outside
mediation even in the peace process, saying
that it would give a legitimate government
and rebel forces equal status " (Nepali
Times, 8/15)


2. SECURITY FORCE, MAOIST CLASHES

-- Talks day action sees 17 killed: At least
17 armed Maoist rebels and a policeman were
killed in clashes in Ramechap and Dolakha
districts on Sunday. ("The Himalayan Times,"
8/18)

-- Abduction: A group of armed Maoists
abducted five policemen in Bhojpur district
on Tuesday night. (Media reports, 8/15)

-- Maoists kill soldier, abduct another: The
Maoists brutally killed a soldier of the
Royal Nepal Army after abducting him from
his home in Nuwakot district on Monday,
security sources said. (Media reports, 8/14)

-- Five Maoists killed, 2 soldiers injured:
Five Maoists were killed (8/11) and two
security personnel, including a Royal Nepal
Army major, seriously injured in an
encounter in Kailali district. ("Kantipur,"
8/12)


3. POLITICAL AFFAIRS

-- King Gyanendra to be constructive, not
active: In an exclusive meeting, King
Gyanendra told the editor of "Nepal" that he
didn't "want to be an active king but rather
a constructive king." When asked about the
recent demand by political parties that his
wealth be declared, he said he had nothing
in private possession. Everything he
possesses is that of the state. It passes
from one king to another; it is not lost and
is not going to be taken away by anyone. On
the question whether Maoist leaders could
meet him, he said that was not impossible.
"But as the talks are going on with a
certain procedure, there is no need for me
to meet." The king said that the Royal
Nepal Army (RNA) was under the Parliament.
"No one can mobilize the RNA until and
unless decided by the Security Council,
which has the Prime Minister and Defense
Minister" in it. (Centrist "Nepal,"
V/fortnightly, 8/18)

-- "King-Maoist alliance to erase 1990
achievement": Nepali Congress president
Girija Prasad Koirala expressed suspicion
that the king and the Maoists had forged an
unholy alliance to abolish the achievement
of the 1990's popular movement that restored
democracy in the country. ("Kantipur," 8/13)

-- King, Maoists forge unholy alliance:
Pokharel: CPN-UML Standing Committee member
Ishwor Pokharel accused (8/14) the king and
the Maoists of attempting to denigrate the
multiparty democracy. Pokharel said that
there could be an unholy alliance between
the king and the Maoists to scrape the 1990
Constitution through regressive means. ("The
Kathmandu Post," 8/15)


4. NEPAL-U.S.

-- U.S. clarifies its stance on
antiterrorism: The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu
clarified the "misunderstanding" reflected
in recent public statements and some media
reports on the Antiterrorism Agreement (ATA)
signed by Nepal and the U.S. on April 25
this year. The Maoists had demanded the
scrapping of the agreement in one of its
letters addressed to the government on the
resumption of the peace talks. Since
October 2000, the Embassy said, almost
200
Nepali police officers from both the Nepal
and the Armed Police Force have been trained
under ATA, at a cost of approximately one
million dollars. ("The Kathmandu Post,"
8/16)

-- Senator Feinstein to reintroduce garment
bill: Senator Dianne Feinstein recently
wrote a letter to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs assuring that she would reintroduce
a bill in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee
proposing a quota and duty free access for
Nepali garments to the American market.
("The Kathmandu Post," 8/12)

5. OTHERS

-- Weapons seized from Maoists: The security
forces seized two truckloads of weapons
hidden by the Maoists at a former army man's
house in Khotang district. (Centrist
"Deshantar," V/W, 8/17)

-- Landslides claim 15 soldiers, one
civilian: Fifteen army personnel have died
and five, including an army major, were
killed in a landslide in Rasuwa district
following torrential rains and thunderous
lightening. (Media reports, 8/17)

MALINOWSKI