CHINESE AMBASSADOR HOPES KING WILL RAPIDLY TURN

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001005 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL CH NP SUBJECT: CHINESE AMBASSADOR HOPES KING WILL RAPIDLY TURN OVER POWER TO PARTIES REF: KATHMANDU 995 (NOTAL) Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). King Acknowledges Need To Turn Over Power -------------- ¶1. (C) On April 18, the Ambassador met with Chinese Ambassador Sun Heping to discuss their respective April 16 audiences with King Gyanendra. Sun's audience with the King appeared to be similar to Indian Ambassador Mukherjee's April 16 audience (reftel). Sun told the Ambassador that the King had started the conversation saying he had decided to turn over all power to the political parties. But, as with Mukherjee, Gyanendra then had started to hedge his options, saying the new government would have to remain true to the King's agenda to find a path back to democracy by holding elections. The King had also stressed that the Parties would have to agree to his vision of restoring law and order for the country. Sun worried that the King was trying to leave himself with as many options as possible, a feeling Mukherjee and the Ambassador shared. Sun explained to the Ambassador that China strongly believed that the only way out of the current impasse was a dialogue between the King and the seven-party alliance with the goal of rapidly transferring power to the Parties. Sun agreed to keep in close touch with the Ambassador as events unfolded over the coming days. Comment -------------- ¶2. (C) All our interlocutors are understandably nervous about the King's inclination to retain power, and no one will be sure what the King will do until he acts. MORIARTY