Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05KATHMANDU1293
2005-06-14 11:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

NEPAL: KING TO QATAR, SON PARAS TEMPORARILY IN

Tags:  PGOV PREL NP GON 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001293 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL NP GON
SUBJECT: NEPAL: KING TO QATAR, SON PARAS TEMPORARILY IN
CHARGE

REF: KATHMANDU 00638

Classified By: Charge Elisabeth Millard. Reason 1.4 (b/d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001293

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL NP GON
SUBJECT: NEPAL: KING TO QATAR, SON PARAS TEMPORARILY IN
CHARGE

REF: KATHMANDU 00638

Classified By: Charge Elisabeth Millard. Reason 1.4 (b/d)


1. (U) His Majesty King Gyanendra and his wife departed Nepal
for Doha, Qatar on June 13 to participate in the Second
Summit Conference of the Developing Countries. Their
Majesties travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 18
before returning to Nepal on June 22. As he did last time he
left the country in April to attend the African-Asian Summit
in Indonesia, the King constituted a Council of Royal
Representatives under the chairmanship of Crown Prince Paras
to discharge duties during his father's absence.


2. (C) The King plans to address the Second Summit Conference
of the Developing Countries on its opening day, June 15. In a
national address in Nepal on June 12, the King said the Group
of 77 and China, participants in the Qatar conference,
provided a collective voice and common platform for
developing nations. The King is not expected to have any
sidebar meetings with Indian officials as only the Minister
of State for External Affairs is scheduled to attend the Doha
meeting according to Nischal Pandey, son of current Minister
of Foreign Affairs and close Embassy contact. Pandey said
the King would grant an audience to the Bangladeshi Prime
Minister. In UAE, the King was to meet with Prince Al-Thani.


3. (U) The King's trip also coincides with a tourism and
trade fair; the King planned to inaugurate the first ever
"Promote Nepal 2005" trade fair in Doha, Qatar on June 14.
Nepalese workers in Doha are scheduled to host a civic
reception in honor of the King on June 14. More Nepalis work
in Qatar than any country other than Saudi Arabia; in March
Foreign Minister Pandey signed Nepal's first labor agreement
with Qatar to safeguard the interests of the approximately
95,000 Nepalis working there(Reftel). Valid for four years,
the accord guarantees Nepali laborers their contractual
salary and other benefits.


4. (C) Nischal Pandey told EmbOff that Qatar would give His
Majesty's Government of Nepal (HMGN),rather than an
employment agency, a quota for additional Nepalese workers.
HMGN was considering using this quota to attract Maoist
rebels to give up arms and obtain an overseas job in Qatar,
where the average salary was 2000USD per month.


5. (C) Comment: The departure of the King signals his
confidence in the current security situation in Nepal.
MILLARD