NEPAL: MAOISTS CRITICIZE U.S. MILITARY ASSISTANCE

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 002330 SIPDIS STATE FOR SA/INS, LONDON FOR POL/GURNEY, NSC FOR MILLARD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: MAOISTS CRITICIZE U.S. MILITARY ASSISTANCE REF: ¶1. IN RESPONSE TO LOCAL PRESS REPORTING ON A/S ROCCA'S OCTOBER 29 TESTIMONY TO CONGRESS AND A NOVEMBER 26 ARTICLE IN THE VERNACULAR PUBLICATION JANA ASTHA (PEOPLE'S FAITH), THE MAOISTS POSTED A STATEMENT ON THEIR WEBSITE (WWW.CPNM.ORG) TITLED "MOCKERY OF U.S. DEMOCRACY: PEACE IN LIPS, GUNS IN HANDS." THE STATEMENT CRITICIZES THE U.S. GOVERNMENT FOR PROVIDING LETHAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF NEPAL (GON) WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ADVOCATING A POLITICAL SOLUTION THROUGH PEACEFUL NEGOTIATIONS. SIGNIFICANTLY, THE MISINFORMED AND POORLY- WRITTEN JEREMIAD INCLUDES NO/NO THREATS AGAINST AMERICAN CITIZENS OR U.S. INTERESTS. ¶2. THE JANA ASTHA ARTICLE, TO WHICH THE MAOISTS REACTED, ERRONEOUSLY ALLEGES THAT THE U.S. PLANS TO PROVIDE TEN HELICOPTERS, EACH WORTH USD 10 MILLION, TO THE GON. THE SECOND ARTICLE, REPORTING ON A/S ROCCA'S TESTIMONY, MISTAKENLY ASSUMES THAT THE 20,000 M-16 RIFLES MENTIONED BY ROCCA WERE IN ADDITION TO THE RIFLES ALREADY DELIVERED. EXCERPTS FROM THE MAOIST POLEMIC ARE PROVIDED BELOW. ¶3. BEGIN TEXT: ACCORDING TO THE PRESS REPORT OF NEPAL, THE U.S. IMPERIALIST RULERS HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE 20,000 M-16 RIFLES TO HELP THE ROYAL TERRORISTS OF NEPAL IN ORDER TO KILL THE NEPALESE PEOPLE. SIMILARLY, JANA ASTHA WEEKLY PUBLISHED FROM KATHMANDU ON 26 NOVEMBER HAS REPORTED THAT THE U.S. IS GOING TO HAND OVER 10 "HEGS" HELICOPTERS WORTH 10 MILLION DOLLARS (740 MILLION NEPALI RUPEES) PER HELICOPTER... THE U.S. IMPERIALISM HAS SENT 5,000 M-16 RIFLES BEFORE AND A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO SUPPRESS THE MAOIST REVOLUTIONARIES. THIS IS THE BUSINESS OF U.S. IMPERIALISM: USING THE CIVIL WAR FOR SELLING WEAPONS AND EARNING MONEY, SUPPRESSING THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT AND THE NATIONAL LIBERATION MOVEMENT AND SUPPORTING THE MOST REACTIONARY ELEMENT DECORATING THEM AS DEMOCRATS. IN THE RECENT DAYS, THE U.S. IMPERIALISTS HAVE ISSUED A STATEMENT AND SAID THAT THEY WANT THE POLITICAL SOLUTION IN NEPAL THROUGH PEACEFUL MEANS. THEY ALSO RESTATED [THE] POSITION OF SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WHO HAVE BEEN URGING THE NEPALESE OLD REGIME TO END CONFLICTS WITH THE NEPALESE PEOPLE THROUGH DIALOGUE. BUT THE U.S. HAS PLAYED A DOUBLE STANDARD: DISHONESTY AND HYPOCRISY BY COMMITTING A CONTRADICTORY ACTIVITY UTTERING PEACE IN THE LIPS AND LIFTING WEAPONS IN HANDS TO SLUG THE REAL PEACE. END TEXT. ¶4. COMMENT. THE POORLY-WORDED MAOIST STATEMENT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN IN HASTE, IN REACTION TO THE TWO-DAY-OLD JANA ASTHA ARTICLE. INTERESTINGLY, THE STATEMENT WAS PUBLISHED ON THE MAOISTS' ENGLISH-LANGUAGE WEBSITE ONLY -- CLEARLY INTENDED FOR WESTERN, NOT NEPALI, CONSUMPTION. BY SINGLING OUT U.S. POLICY FOR CRITICISM VERSUS THAT OF OTHER "EUROPEAN COUNTRIES," THE MAOISTS HAVE AGAIN DEMONSTRATED THEIR DESIRE TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN THE U.S. AND OTHER DONOR GOVERNMENTS. END COMMENT. MALINOWSKI