CONFUSION MOUNTS OVER INTERIM PARLIAMENT; MORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001908 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2016 TAGS: PGOV PTER NP SUBJECT: CONFUSION MOUNTS OVER INTERIM PARLIAMENT; MORE TALKS AHEAD Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Nick Dean. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Informal talks July 14 between leaders of the two largest parties of the Seven-Party Alliance and the Maoists set the stage for agreement between the GON/Maoist negotiation teams to hold the next talks on July 21. The July 14 talks among the Nepali Congress (NC),the CPN-UML, and Maoists demonstrated the parties' frustration over feeling left out and uninformed about ongoing negotiations. Although our political contacts assured us that no concrete decisions had been made at the July 14 meeting, media continue to report that the talks led to an agreement to form an interim Parliament. On July 15, an official meeting between the GON and Maoist negotiation teams expanded the Interim Constitution Drafting Committee (ICDC) and created a new committee to return Maoist-seized property. The Maoists continued making mischief in the districts, this time obstructing development projects in an apparent attempt to pressure the GON before the July 21 talks. End Summary. CONFUSION MOUNTS OVER INTERIM PARLIAMENT -------------- ¶2. (C) The NC and CPN-UML, led respectively by party Vice President Sushil Koirala and General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, met on July 14 with Maoist Chairman Prachanda, his deputy Baburam Bhattarai, and other Maoist representatives to review ongoing negotiations over prior agreements. Both sides expressed greater confidence in the negotiations, reaffirming their desire to follow the eight-point agreement and Code of Conduct. NC General Secretary Ram Chandra Poudel explained to Emboff on July 17 that, despite media reports, the informal talks had come to no conclusion about an interim Parliament. Poudel clarified that although the Maoists had raised the issue of an interim Parliament, Prachanda never indicated that he would agree to one. Poudel told us that he had told the Maoists to wait for the interim constitution before worrying about an interim government. Although CPN-UML Central Committee Member Jhalanath Khanal told the media that the Maoists were "not negative" toward the idea of joining the existing Parliament, Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said on Nepali television that the Maoists were a parallel government to the GON and would not join an existing GON body. DISCUSSION FORESHADOWS LARGER TALKS -------------- ¶3. (C) The two sides opted to let negotiators at the next round of high-level talks flesh out the details of an interim Parliament. Poudel told us that the informal meeting had set July 21 for the next high-level talks between the Seven-Party Alliance and the Maoists. The CPN-UML's Jhalanath Khanal separately told Emboff that no concrete decisions had been made about any issue, all of which would come up during the July 21 peace talks. ¶4. (C) Poudel informed Emboff that political party leaders had raised the issue of Maoists not showing commitment to the November 12-point understanding or the June 8-point agreement. The party leaders had urged the Maoists to return seized property to the people and create an environment for all political workers to operate in their districts and villages without fear. Poudel stated that the all attendees had agreed to constitute central- and district-level committees of Seven-Party Alliance members and Maoists to address these problems. Poudel also said that the issue of weapons management had come up during the meeting. He speculated that the talks teams would work to determine the terms of UN arms management supervision. GON LEFT OUT OF THE LOOP? -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Prime Minister and NC President GP Koirala and Speaker of the House Subash Nemwang both claimed not to have had prior knowledge of the July 14 meeting, which was held at a Kathmandu-area resort. Nemwang told journalists that he had learned of the event through newspapers and was surprised when PM Koirala claimed ignorance about the meeting and its outcome. Nemwang criticized the participants for making decisions without consulting others in the government. Subsequently, PM Koirala said that scrapping the incumbent Parliament was not an option. Sushil Koirala and Poudel denied that they had agreed to such a thing during the meeting. Madhav Kumar Nepal, on the other hand, later told a CPN-UML Kathmandu District Committee meeting that the existing Parliament could be replaced through a political decision because, he said, "there is no possibility of constituting a new institution of people's representatives through fresh elections at present." MK Nepal clarified that the Parliament should not be dissolved in haste, but neither should it be prolonged for an indefinite period. NEGOTIATION TEAMS APPOINT COMMITTEE MEMBERS, FORMALIZE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In a July 15 meeting at the Peace Secretariat, the GON and Maoist negotiation teams agreed to add ten members to the Interim Constitution Drafting Committee (ICDC),formed a committee to return property seized by Maoists, and formally set the next round of high-level talks for July 21. The negotiation teams named nine of the 10 new members for the ICDC, including three women and two CPN-UML (the only major party that was not represented in the original six-member committee),and declared that a tenth person would come from the underrepresented Dalit (untouchable) community. The negotiation teams extended the duration of the ICDC until the end of July. The meeting also decided to form a six-member committee to focus on the issue of returning property confiscated by Maoists. This committee includes two members each from the NC, the CPN-UML, and the Maoists. MAOISTS UP TO THEIR OLD TRICKS -------------- ¶7. (SBU) According to press reports, Maoists in the southeastern district of Siraha prevented prospective contractors from competing for District Development Committee (DDC) contracts worth 12.5 million rupees (approximately USD 169,000). The Kathmandu Post reported that the Maoists, who had bid for the contracts, stole submitted offers from the DDC office and barred other interested parties from entering DDC premises. Additionally, the Maoists reportedly banned work on all infrastructure development projects in the district, including those geared toward improving health, education, electricity, and drinking water. The Maoists claimed that they were going to institute similar bans in other districts in order to pressure the GON before the July 21 talks. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) The July 14 meeting between a few political party and Maoist leaders is representative of Nepal's peace process as a whole: players left out of the loop, important decisions made without consensus, and general confusion about what transpired. Complaints by party leaders of lack of inclusion in the peace process that followed the June 16 eight-point agreement continue to multiply. Politicians continue to maneuver for advantage, and the Maoists continue to exploit differences among party leaders to gain the upper hand. The July 21 talks have value in sustaining the peace process, but will probably have limited formal, concrete outcomes. The constitution drafting committee, for its part, is still wrestling with the shape of Nepal's interim constitution and government. DEAN