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