DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ON MAOISTS; ON BHUTANESE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001434

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PREF NP
SUBJECT: DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ON MAOISTS; ON BHUTANESE
REFUGEES

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons, 1.4 (b/d).

Concern About The Maoists
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1. (C) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister KP Oli told
the Ambassador and Pol/Econ Chief June 5 about his concerns
regarding Maoist activities. The Ambassador saluted the
Deputy PM for his recent statements in Parliament calling the
Maoists to account for their violation of the Code of
Conduct. The Ambassador noted that he planned to return to
Washington for consultations the week of June 12. There was
considerable concern within the USG about the Maoists and
their aggressive actions such as setting up parallel
governments, continuing extortion, commandeering vehicles,
etc. Oli said that dealing with the Maoists was difficult
and he had been trying to counsel both colleagues in
Parliament and the general public to be realistic about
Maoist intentions. He explained that the Maoists were
sitting at the talks table while at the same time "recruiting
huge numbers, intensifying their training programs, and
extorting on a grand scale to build a huge fund." The
continuation of those actions called into question Maoist
intentions. Oli stressed that the Maoists had changed
nothing since the cease-fire except stopping their attacks on
army barracks. Others understood this, although some still
wanted to turn a blind eye and pretend otherwise. He added
that the Maoists, objecting to his recent remarks, had called
for his resignation as Deputy Prime Minister; he laughed that
the Government of Nepal (GON) did not instruct the Maoists to
change their leadership.

Talk with Bhutanese FM Wangchuk on Refugees
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2. (C) Oli described the gist of his May 29 conversation with
Bhutanese Foreign Minister Wangchuk in Kuala Lumpur on the
margins of the NAM Ministerial, saying he had pressed
Wangchuk about Bhutanese refugees. Oli had stressed that the
GON wanted to be supportive, as the Bhutanese people and the
Royal Government of Bhutan sought to resolve the problem. He
had said that it was not a problem between Bhutan and Nepal.
However, Oli acknowledged, the issue involved questions of
ethnic cleansing, democracy, and human rights. As the GON
had noted during the recent movement for democracy, these
were not merely internal concerns, but global concerns. He
said he had suggested "making a fresh start," as repeating
scenarios of the past would result in a never-ending process.
Oli noted that Wangchuk remained focused on the past,
despite Oli's encouraging him to look to the future. Oli
stated that he did not believe Wangchuk was happy with their
meeting. As the next step, Oli said, he would write to
Wangchuk.


3. (C) Although Oli reiterated his belief that the real,
permanent solution was the repatriation of refugees, he also
said that the GON had no objections to other options that
were acceptable to the refugees. He also raised the risk
that Maoists could create trouble in the camps. The
Ambassador again pressed Oli to allow UNHCR to conduct a
census in the camps, as well as to allow the resettlement of
urgent, vulnerable cases. Oli said the GON was thinking
about both; his body language was positive.

Comment
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4. (C) Oli emphasized that the GON was trying to do its best
to create an atmosphere in the country that is conducive to
resolving the Maoist problem. He stressed, however, that at
least some in the GON were also very aware of the dangers the
Maoists continue to pose.
MORIARTY