NEPAL: PRELIMINARY READ-OUT ON MEETING BETWEEN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001723

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS
LONDON FOR POL - GURNEY
NSC FOR MILLARD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM UK NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: PRELIMINARY READ-OUT ON MEETING BETWEEN
KING GYANENDRA AND BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY

REF: A. LONDON 7151

B. KATHMANDU 1713

C. KATHMANDU 1692

D. KATHMANDU 1620

Classified By: AMB. MICHAEL E. MALINOWSKI. REASON: 1.5 (B,D).

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SUMMARY
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1. (S) According to the British Ambassador's read-out of
the September 4 meeting between King Gyanendra and British
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in London, the King said that he
would reach out to the political parties only if efforts to
revive negotiations with the Maoists fail. The King also
reportedly voiced suspicions regarding India's motives and
activities in Nepal. Straw reportedly raised allegations of
human rights abuses committed by the Royal Nepal Army in the
eastern district of Ramechhap (Ref D),warning that credible
evidence of such violations could jeopardize British security
assistance. The British Ambassador could provide only a
preliminary read-out, as he did not participate in the
meeting himself but received his information second-hand
through FCO channels. Further details may emerge upon the
King's return to Kathmandu on September 10. If the account
as related is accurate, however, we are concerned that the
King may be missing an important opportunity to achieve the
hoped-for reconciliation with democratic political leaders.
End summary.

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MAOISTS ON THE MIND;
PARTIES LAST RESORT
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2. (S) UK Ambassador Keith Bloomfield provided the
Ambassador with a preliminary read-out of the September 4
meeting between King Gyanendra and British Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw in London. (Note: Amb. Bloomfield did not
attend the meeting, but received the account from FCO
channels. End note.) According to Bloomfield, the King said
that the interim government of Prime Minister Surya Bahadur
Thapa had not fulfilled its mandate to obtain a negotiated
settlement to the Maoist conflict. The King said his
immediate priority upon returning to Nepal will be to bring
the Maoists back to the negotiating table. (Note: The King
left Nepal on August 24, three days before the Maoists broke
a seven-month ceasefire. He is expected to return on
September 10. End note.) Should it prove impossible to do
so, he acknowledged that he would have to give attention to
the parties, but added that he could not ignore their
foolishness in the past. In an apparent reference to the
Government of Nepal (GON) ban on rallies and assemblies, he
asserted that the government should be allowed to govern.

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HUMAN RIGHTS ALLEGATIONS
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3. (S) Straw reportedly raised the killings of 17-19
Maoists by the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) in Ramechhap District
on August 17 (Ref D). He indicated there was credible
evidence, including a video, that gross human rights
violations--possibly even war crimes--had taken place.
(Note: The UK Embassy here has shared with us notes from an
unidentified "impeccable" source alleging the RNA summarily
executed 19 prisoners. It is not clear if the source was an
eyewitness, a soldier, a Maoist, or how he had obtained his
information. The notes included no mention of a videotape.
An independent panel appointed by the National Human Rights
Commission has investigated the incident and should be
releasing its report within the next few days. End note.)
If the allegations prove true, such violations would endanger
UK security assistance to Nepal, he warned. He noted the
UK's experience in Northern Ireland had demonstrated the
importance of respect for human rights in the context of an
insurgency. The King showed surprise upon hearing the
allegations and said he had not received similar reports.

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KING COOL TOWARD INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION;
BLAMES INDIANS
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4. (S) Bloomfield said that Straw inquired if the GON were
trying to marshal mediation/negotiation assistance from
international sources. The King parried the query by noting
that the Indians are sensitive and generally unreceptive to
the possibility of international mediation in Nepal. It is
hard to know what the Indians are up to in Nepal, the King
continued, charging that they politicize even seemingly
innocuous matters in the countries' bilateral relations.


5. (C) Straw reportedly raised the possibility of a
trilateral meeting on Nepal on the fringes of the UNGA with
him, the Indian Foreign Minister, and the Secretary of State.
The King seemed to welcome the idea.

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COMMENT
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6. (S) Since unilaterally breaking the ceasefire on August
27, the Maoists have engaged in a campaign of terror,
including attacks on security forces, abductions and murders
of civilians, and assassination attempts on key GON figures,
that demonstrates to us no immediate inclination to resume
negotiations. The usually recalcitrant political parties, on
the other hand, displayed uncharacteristic flexibility and
good sense in toning down their September 4 protests to avert
the likelihood of Maoist-instigated violence and to offer a
gesture of reconciliation to the Palace. But the parties'
gesture was clearly predicated on the expectation of a
reciprocal gesture from the King, i.e., an offer to form an
all-party interim government and/or to reinstate Parliament
(Ref C). The parties' mistrust of the Palace already borders
on paranoia; a perception that they were "tricked into"
modifying their protest will only deepen their long-held
suspicions. If the King fails to respond to the parties'
overture, he will lose a valuable opportunity to improve this
important relationship and to cultivate key allies in the
government's fight against the Maoists.
MALINOWSKI