POSSIBLE DEMARCHE FOR GOVERNMENTS HOSTING KING

S E C R E T KATHMANDU 002452 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2025 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS NP SUBJECT: POSSIBLE DEMARCHE FOR GOVERNMENTS HOSTING KING GYANENDRA REF: THIS IS REPLACING KATHMANDU 02449 Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty; Reasons 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See para 4. ¶2. (C) King Gyanendra is currently traveling outside Nepal for three weeks. In addition to Dhaka (where he attended the SAARC summit),we understand the King will visit Tunisia for the World Summit on the Information Society, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and South Africa. There have also been indications that he may stop in Burundi (where Nepal has a UNPKO contingent) as well as Kenya and/or Tanzania. ¶3. (S/NF) Reporting in other channels indicates that the King will use meetings with foreign government leaders to gauge/enlist international support for his Feb 1 moves and his rule since then. We worry that encouraging responses from his hosts would convince him that he has no need to begin reconciling with the political parties to move Nepal back to democracy. ¶4. (C) It would therefore be useful for our embassies in the capitals hosting Gyanendra to approach the respective governments prior to his visit to review our assessment of the deteriorating situation in Nepal. ¶5. (U) Suggested points for governments hosting King Gyanendra: -- The United States is deeply concerned about the situation in Nepal. -- Nepal is facing a violent Maoist insurgency which seeks to establish a totalitarian one-party state. -- Nepal's political institutions are fragile. The parliament was dissolved over three years ago, and no elections have been held since 1999. The King dismissed a multi-party government on February 1 this year, assumed the premiership and appointed a government which widely is viewed as incompetent and/or corrupt. The King has taken many other regressive steps, seeking to control the press and curb civil liberties, citing the need to address the Maoist terrorists. Most importantly, the King has failed to reach out to Nepal's political leaders to agree on a way forward to address the Maoist insurgency and to strengthen Nepal's democratic institutions. Since the King's assumption of power, the Maoists have gained strength and the overall situation in Nepal deteriorated. -- While the King has announced municipal and then parliamentary elections, the main political parties have said they will not participate given the absence of key civil liberties. -- As a result, Nepal's political parties are in dialogue with the Maoists, even though the insurgents have not demonstrated their willingness to abandon their violent methods or ultimate goals. -- The United States and several of Nepal's other key international partners have repeatedly stressed to the King the urgency of establishing a dialogue with the political parties to reverse the current negative trend. -- We believe it would be good if you too reinforced this point. MORIARTY