NEPAL: KING TO MEET LEADERS OF PROTESTING PARTIES

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000947 SIPDIS STATE FOR SA/INS LONDON FOR POL - GURNEY NSC FOR MILLARD E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2014 TAGS: PGOV NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: KING TO MEET LEADERS OF PROTESTING PARTIES REF: KATHMANDU 938 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: CDA JANET BOGUE. REASON: 1.5 (B,D). ¶1. (C) Summary: According to Palace and party sources, King Gyanendra will meet the leaders of the five protesting political parties on May 19 at 6:30 p.m. A royal confidant has suggested that the May 19 discussion may be followed by subsequent meetings with the heads of the two largest parties. Charge has urged both Palace and party representatives to use this important opportunity to work together to resolve the political impasse. End summary. ¶2. (C) Early on May 19 Prabhakar Rana, King Gyanendra's confidant and business partner, told Charge that the King had invited the leaders of the five protesting political parties to the Palace later in the evening. Rana cautioned that it was unlikely that this initial meeting would produce agreement on a new Prime Minister. Instead, the King may decide to meet again with only the leaders of the two largest parties, the Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist (UML) and the Nepali Congress (whether separately or together was unclear),specifically on that topic. (In an earlier conversation Rana had indicated that G.P. Koirala, the 80-year-old Nepali Congress President, never takes notes during meetings with the King and frequently seems to forget topics discussed.) Rana added that he had advised the King to confine the initial discussion with the five leaders to just a few subjects, such as preparing for elections and/or how to deal with the Maoists. Charge welcomed the King's decision to invite the leaders for dialogue and urged the Palace to cooperate with the parties to resolve the political stalemate. ¶3. (C) Madhav Nepal, General Secretary of the UML, and Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, a pominent Nepali Congress Central Committee member and a close advisor to Koirala, confirmed to Charge that party representatives will attend the meeting. Charge urged the parties to view the invitation as an opportunity to work with the King to overcome the deadlock and restore democracy. BOGUE