PM KOIRALA SEES UN AS THE PANACEA

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 002345

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/INS, H (PLEASE PASS TO HACFO)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2016
TAGS: PTER PGOV NP
SUBJECT: PM KOIRALA SEES UN AS THE PANACEA


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

Summary
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1. (C) In an August 28 meeting, Prime Minister Koirala told
House Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairman Jim Kolbe that
the United Nations would solve Nepal's problems and help to
bring a lasting peace. The PM indicated that he would
continue to hold the line against allowing the Maoists into
an interim government until they were separated from their
weapons. The PM also stressed the importance of economic
assistance to Nepal in order to keep Nepal from becoming a
failed state.

UN is the Solution to Nepal's Problems
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2. (C) PM GP Koirala stressed to a four-member CODEL headed
by House Appropriations Foreign Operations Subcommittee
Chairman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) the importance of the UN peace
facilitation mission to Nepal's peace process. The PM stated
that he had originally thought that a monitoring role would
be enough for a UN mission. Now he thought that the United
Nations needed to play a major role in solving the country's
political problems. The PM opined that if the UN could not
separate the Maoists from their weapons and came only as "a
spectator," the UN would be no more credible than "a league
of nations." Success in Nepal would enhance the UN's
reputation and failure would be a blow to the international
organization's standing. The CODEL and Ambassador stressed
to the PM that the UN was unlikely to do anything in Nepal
without a clear and detailed agreement between the government
and the Maoists. The PM responded that the UN should be able
to start a dialogue and tell the Maoists to separate the
Maoist People's Liberation Army from its weapons.

Maoists Not a Political Party
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3. (C) The PM made it clear that he would not consider the
Maoists to be a legitimate political party until they gave up
their weapons. The PM stated that as long as the Maoists had
weapons, they remained a rebel group, and should not be
allowed into any interim government. PM Koirala proclaimed
that "I will never agree to anything less than the separation
of the Maoists from their arms." He voiced concern that the
Maoists continued to terrorize the common people and to
maintain their own parallel local government structures. The
PM made clear that he regarded the UN Mission as the solution
to all these problems.

Economic Prosperity Vital
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4. C) The CODEL expressed concern at the deteriorating
economic and business environment in Nepal. The PM agreed,
and stressed the importance of economic support from the
international community as Nepal moved forward in its
transition to democracy. The PM recognized the importance of
maintaining law and order and stopping Maoist extortion of
businesses. He reiterated his expectation that once the UN
came in and worked out the arms management issue, the
government could focus on economic issues. The PM stated
that "if we fail economically, then the nation will fail."

Comment
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5. (C) The Government of Nepal continues to see the UN as a
panacea for all of Nepal's problems. In his meeting with
Chairman Kolbe, Koirala seemed to be pushing responsibility
for bringing peace to Nepal onto the UN, and away from
himself and the country's other political actors. If the UN
mission fails to bring the type of peace that the PM
envisions, it would be convenient for all sides to blame the
UN for the failure and evade responsibility themselves. That
said, the PM's strong line against allowing the Maoists into
government until they separate from their arms was
reassuring; the issue remains the litmus test of the GON's
resolve to counter the Maoist threat and succeed in Nepal's
transition to democracy.
MORIARTY