PRACHANDA SAYS WEAPONS WILL NOT BE DECOMMISSIONED

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001757 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2016 TAGS: PGOV PTER NP SUBJECT: PRACHANDA SAYS WEAPONS WILL NOT BE DECOMMISSIONED BEFORE JOINING GOVERNMENT REF: A. KATHMANDU 1664 ¶B. KATHMANDU 1732 ¶C. KATHMANDU 1733 ¶D. KATHMANDU 1576 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Nick Dean. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Following the Ambassador's June 28 speech and subsequent public remarks on July 1, Prachanda gave a TV interview July 3 in which he stated that the Maoists would not give up arms before joining an interim government. In a somewhat contradictory July 3 press statement, he issued a directive for district-level Maoists to ensure that all donations were voluntary and to end People's Courts in big towns and the capital. Prachanda asserted that the Maoists are compelled to collect voluntary donations to fund the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and Maoist operations. He also accused the Ambassador of "trying to disrupt the peace process. Though leftists were not happy with the Ambassador's June 28 remarks, many others have publicly and privately told us they are happy that someone finally spoke out on the need for the Maoists to give up arms before they could join the government (ref A). A Maoist People's Court handed down a three-year prison sentence on July 2 and Maoists abducted three people on July 4. PRACHANDA: NO DECOMMISSIONING OF ARMS BEFORE FORMATION OF INTERIM GOVERNMENT... -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) During a July 3 interview with Indian television channel CNN-IBN, Prachanda accused the U.S. of conspiring to de-stabilize peace talks and stressed that "there is no question of decommissioning the arms or our Army before the interim government is formed." He suggested that a merger of the Nepal Army (NA) and PLA would occur only after the constituent assembly process was finished. Regarding the King, Prachanda stated that "in today's Nepal there is no chance of a ceremonial monarch." He noted that the Communist Party of Nepal - Maoist (CPN-M) expected to hold 50 percent of the ministries when the interim government was formed. While Prachanda acknowledged that he did not find himself prepared to be Prime Minister or even a Minister in a new government, he said he was eager to contest elections. ... BUT DIRECTS MAOISTS TO CEASE PEOPLE'S COURTS, RAISE ONLY VOLUNTARY DONATIONS -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) In a July 3 press statement, Prachanda issued a special directive to all CPN-M district committees to make collections of donations "fully voluntary," to "not open any new customs offices," and to "not conduct any People's Courts in big towns and the capital for now." He noted that the CPN-M was compelled to collect voluntary donations to maintain the PLA and other "daily works." Prachanda stressed that the "people's powers which are already in place will continue to function as they were unless the interim constitution and interim government are in place." He accused several supporters of the autocratic monarchy "including the American Ambassador," of trying to disrupt the peace process "by making a mountain out of a molehill." LEFTISTS NOT HAPPY ABOUT AMBASSADOR'S REMARKS... -------------- -- ¶4. (C) Prachanda's statements about U.S. interference in the peace process probably refer to the Ambassador's June 28 speech and subsequent remarks on July 1 that the USG would likely have to cease all assistance to Nepal if the Maoists were allowed to join an interim government before they laid down their arms (ref B). Most Government of Nepal (GON) officials - including the PM - praised the Ambassador's remarks and thanked him for voicing their concerns (ref C). However, those with closer links to the Maoists expressed concern. Reaction to the Ambassador's remarks has varied. Lilamani Pokharel, Vice President of the People's Front Nepal (PFN),a leftist party, complained to us that the U.S. had directly interfered with the internal affairs of Nepal. He said that Americans should not dictate terms, but rather show support and goodwill toward Nepal and its people. Pokharel said that Nepalese alone, and not foreigners, should decide Nepal's fate. Jalanath Khanal, Central Committee Member of the CPN-UML, was less critical. He said the Ambassador's speech was positive because it pressured the Maoists to renounce violence. Khanal lamented, however, that the Americans had stated that their relationship with Nepal would end if the Maoists were allowed to join the interim government without laying down their arms. He stressed that the Maoists were ready to manage their arms under UN supervision and were compelled by public pressure to stop People's Courts. ...WHILE OTHERS VOICE THEIR APPROVAL, WORRY ABOUT MAOIST WEAPONS -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Arjun Narsingh K.C., Central Committee Member of the Nepali Congress (NC),commented that he thought the Ambassador's speech was positive and had helped bring the Maoists down to "their own size." He noted that the Maoists should translate their commitments into action, which they had not done. Subodh Pyakurel, President of the human rights NGO the Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC),welcomed the Ambassador's speech and commented that Maoist weapons should not only be monitored by UN civilians, but also by a UN peacekeeping force. He worried that the Maoists might hide their weapons before UN supervision could begin and suggested the Nepal Army and Police should be deployed to monitor weapons in the meantime. MAOIST VIOLATIONS OF CODE OF CONDUCT REMAIN FRONT PAGE NEWS -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) The English language daily "The Kathmandu Post" led its July 5 front page article "Maoists abduct 3 including NC worker, govt official" with the comment, "in a blatant violation of code of conduct yet again." Maoists abducted NC district committee member Astabhuja Pathak from Rupandehi District (southwestern Nepal),a customs officer in Rabiraj (eastern Nepal),and a farmer near Janakpur (eastern Nepal). Pathak was reportedly abducted for refusing to appear before a People's Court. The press reported that on July 2 a Maoist People's Court sentenced the elected Mayor of Tansen (southwestern Nepal),Dhatananda Bhattarai, to three years of forced labor and a fine of 15,000 Nepali Rupees (USD 205). Bhattarai had defied Maoist warnings not to file as a candidate in the February 8 municipal elections and had been elected as an uncontested candidate. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Prachanda's public comment that the PLA will not disarm before entering an interim government goes directly against the GON's desire to have decommissioning occur before Maoists enter the government. His directive to cease forced donations and the creation of new people's courts still allows for Maoist courts in much of Nepal. The fact that his statement explicitly allows existing Maoist parallel government entities to continue and that a People's Court issued a 3-year sentence shows that Maoist actions still speak louder than their words. PRACHANDA'S PRESS STATEMENT -------------- ¶8. (U) The following is an unofficial translation of Prachanda's July 3 press statement: Begin Text. Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Central Committee Press Statement Today the country is at a highly sensitive point of political changes. It has become a duty of every patriotic and democratic (loktantrik) Nepali to ensure republican changes peacefully through an election to constituent assembly. Our party has all along been making clear its commitment to peace and changes through the 12-point understanding, historic people's movement and the 8-point agreement. The main spirit of the 8-point agreement is to hold elections to constituent assembly in a conducive atmosphere through the proper management of both armies and arms (with the assistance of United Nations),together with the process of framing an interim constitution and forming an interim government. It is known to all that our party, in order to further proceed with this process, has been engaged in serious debates, interactions with representatives of 7 parliamentary political parties, civil society and intellectuals. That we are committed to dissolving the existing parliament and all people's powers including people's courts running under our leadership and forming an interim government by making alternative arrangement of agreement according to the interim government is all clear. In accordance with the understanding and agreement, our party has already called upon the persons displaced during the course of civil war to return to their homes without any fear and this process has already moved on also. Similarly, our party also wants to make it clear that a process of handing back the land captured in an unjust way over to the people concerned has already taken off. Notwithstanding all this, we would like to draw the attention of one and all to the fact that we are compelled to collect voluntary donations for maintaining the People's Liberation Army and for operation of other daily works, and that the people's powers which are already in place will continue to function as they were unless the interim constitution and interim government are in place. This has now become very much clear that pointing out this natural process and one or two short-comings in this context, several apologists for the autocratic monarchy including the American ambassador are trying to disrupt the whole process of peace and forward-looking changes by making a mountain out of molehill. In view of the gravity of the situation in question, the party's central committee issues special directives to all district committees to make collections of donations fully voluntary in order to facilitate the process of talks, peace and progression, to not open any new customs offices and to not conduct any people's courts in big towns and the capital for now. Against the backdrop of our commitment to move ahead all processes anew once the interim government is formed at the center in accordance with the interim constitution, our party heartily appeals to seven political parties, civil society, intellectuals, international community and the masses to firmly implement the 8-point agreement and extend positive contribution from their respective places by not falling into the stage-managed propaganda spread by some foreign power and apologists for autocracy. Date: 03 July 2006 Prachanda Chairman CPN (Maoist) End Text. DEAN