NEPALI CONGRESS NOT FORMING ALLIANCE WITH MAOISTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002399 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PINR NP SUBJECT: NEPALI CONGRESS NOT FORMING ALLIANCE WITH MAOISTS REF: A. KATHMANDU 2384 (NOTAL) ¶B. KATHMANDU 2388 (NOTAL) ¶C. KATHMANDU 2390 Classified By: Amb. James F. Moriarty, Reason 1.4 (b/d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Nepali Congress (NC) President GP Koirala, reacting to the Embassy's recent statement warning against a Maoist-Parties alliance, insisted to the Ambassador on November 7 that his party would "not join hands with the Maoists while they still had guns." Koirala, who expressed concern about his health and his desire to see Nepal on the road back to democracy while he was still alive, said that if the King retraced his steps and created an environment for dialogue with the political parties, the Parties and the Palace could solve Nepal's problems. The NC leader also reiterated past calls for credible third party involvement in the peace talks, adding that he did not trust either the Maoists or the Palace, both of whom had guns. Koirala indicated that, when he sees them during his upcoming trip to New Delhi November 11-16, he would tell the Maoists that they had no future until they came under a democratic framework. End Summary. No Alliance While Maoists Have Arms -------------- ¶2. (C) NC President GP Koirala, referring to his health and desire to see things settled in Nepal, insisted that his party would never "join hands" with the Maoists while they still held weapons. He noted that he had dissuaded some members of his party who had wanted to criticize the Embassy's November 4 statement (ref C). He acknowledged that he could not speak for the other parties. He added, however, that he had told the other members of the Seven-Party Alliance that the Alliance should not deviate from its agreed-upon agenda. If a party did so, it would have to go its own way. The NC leader said he currently had no contacts with the Maoists, but thought he would meet with Maoist leaders in New Delhi during his upcoming trip for a medical check-up. Frank Message to Maoists: Enter Political Mainstream -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Koirala said that if he met with Maoist leaders, he would "tell them very frankly that they had no future unless they gave up violence and rejoined the mainstream of politics." He emphasized that he wanted "the Maoists to be brought into the mainstream within a democratic framework," and added that he would ask them whether they planned to continue the cease-fire. And NC Will Consult With Indian Officials -------------- ¶4. (C) Koirala said he also planned to meet with Government of India officials and other senior leaders when he was in New Delhi to discuss the current situation in Nepal. He said he would talk with them about the importance of having a third party involved in peace talks given that both the Maoists and the Palace had guns and the political parties did not. Acknowledging that India was not positive about UN involvement, he said he would ask whether India would object to the Carter Center as a credible third party. NC Activities: Entering and Organizing in Villages -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) The NC leader said that his party cadre were going out to the villages and districts to organize and conduct a public awareness campaign. After completing visits to the villages, the Party would meet again to review its policy. The NC had also sent out "evaluation teams" to almost all districts to determine the current state of affairs, especially regarding extortion, kidnappings, the return of Maoist-seized property, and the ability of Party cadre to conduct activities. Koirala remarked that the Nepali Congress Central Committee members were accompanying lower level workers into the districts to dissuade the Maoists from attacking the party cadre. Koirala noted that the NC workers also feared retribution from the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA). He explained that if NC workers assembled in villages with Maoists, the RNA might mistakenly assume the NC party members were Maoists and take action on that basis. Koirala remarked that, although the Maoists continuously invited NC to participate in joint programs, thus far NC had organized separate meetings. The Maoists came and listened to the meetings, but until now had not disturbed NC's activities. Koirala, however, was unwilling to give an assessment of how his Party's relations with the Maoists were going until the evaluation teams returned. Still Ready to Talk With the King -------------- ¶6. (C) GP Koirala averred that the Parties would be ready to talk with the King if he "retraced his steps and created conducive conditions for dialogue." He stressed that the Parties had agreed to dialogue, but added that the King had to take steps to create a positive atmosphere. He explained that he did not want Nepal to "lose its identity as an independent Kingdom." An agitated Koirala questioned why the King would leave the country for three weeks at this crucial time. Exclaiming that Nepal was on the brink of becoming a failed state, he asserted the King should stay at home. (Note: King Gyanendra is scheduled to leave November 11 for Bangladesh to attend the SAARC Summit and will then travel from there to Tunisia, Kenya, Burundi, South Africa, Tanzania and Saudi Arabia before returning three weeks later on December 2, the eve of the purported end of the Maoist cease-fire. End Note.) Koirala commented that the King should not delay in initiating a dialogue and that "every minute is important in Nepal." Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Koirala was at his most reasonable and stayed on his message that he was looking for a solution to Nepal's problems. That solution involved a dialogue with the King to reach agreement on the way ahead; not forming an alliance with the Maoists, but getting them to lay down their weapons and rejoin the political mainstream. He seemed very concerned about his health. He said he was losing weight, feeling weak and unwell, and that he would get massive headaches if he talked too long. Koirala is over 80 years old and has reportedly suffered from ill health for several years. MORIARTY