NEPAL: PARTY LEADERS SAY THEY WILL MEET PALACE

S E C R E T KATHMANDU 000683

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS
LONDON FOR POL - GURNEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2014
TAGS: PGOV PREL NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: PARTY LEADERS SAY THEY WILL MEET PALACE
ENVOY

REF: KATHMANDU 651

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


1. (S) During an April 8 dinner in honor of Codel Dreier,
senior leaders of the four largest political parties told the
Ambassador that they were prepared to discuss with a Palace
envoy a resolution to the current political impasse. Madhav
Nepal, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal -
United Marxist Leninist (UML); Sher Bahadur Deuba, President
of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) Party; Pashupati SJB
Rana, President of the National Democratic Party; and Dr. Ram
Sharan Mahat, Central Committee member of the Nepali
Congress, each affirmed willingness to work with the King's
appointed representative to defuse the crisis. The talks
would be conducted in secret. All concurred that the
agitating parties' demands could be met if the King should
nominate an all-party government, although opinions differed
over who should be named to head the government.
Nonetheless, all four politicians seemed confident that a
consensus could be reached.


2. (C) Chairman of the House Rules Committee Representative
David Dreier (R-CA) expressed a desire to speak with the King
upon his return to the capital late April 9. The political
leaders welcomed this initiative. The Ambassador undertook
to ask the Palace if this were possible. (Note: The call
may be difficult to arrange, as we learned that the King is
not expected to return to Kathmandu until April 11. End
note.)


3. (C) The meeting with the four principal parties
constitutes the first step in an initiative that the
Ambassador has agreed to pursue in coordination with the
Indian and British Ambassadors (Reftel) to redouble efforts
to encourage accommodation between the Palace and the
parties. The Ambassador will brief his two colleagues on the
April 8 accord and plan further steps in parallel, including
pressing the King to meet with the party leaders
collectively.
MALINOWSKI