FINANCE MINISTER DISCUSSES NEXT STEPS WITH UN

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 003112 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2016 TAGS: PGOV PTER MARR EAID UN IN FI NP SUBJECT: FINANCE MINISTER DISCUSSES NEXT STEPS WITH UN Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary and Introduction -------------- ¶1. (C) During a November 26 meeting with the Ambassador, Finance Minister Mahat gave his views on what the United Nations was doing and should be doing soon to assist the peace process. He expressed appreciation for Secretary General Annan's November 22 letter to the UN Security Council President which the UNSC President had conveyed to Council Members on November 24. Mahat described as very positive Annan's stated intent to proceed with: (1) deployment of a technical assessment mission to determine how to best to assist up to the election of a constituent assembly; (2) simultaneous deployment of up to 35 arms management monitors; and (3) deployment of up to 25 electoral personnel. The Ambassador agreed. Mahat asked that the U.S. use its influence to get the UN Security Council to take up the issue. In response to a question from the Minister, the Ambassador indicated the U.S. would also look at what additional assistance the U.S. could provide in the lead up to the elections. Other matters discussed with Mahat are reported septel. Finance Minister Welcomes UN Secretary General's Assistance -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) In a meeting with the Ambassador on November 26, Finance Minister Ram Saran Mahat expressed his gratitude for Secretary General Kofi Annan's November 22 letter to UN SIPDIS Security Council President Jorge Voto Bernales. Mahat characterized Annan's three-page letter, which Bernales transmitted to Security Council Members on November 24, as extremely positive. In it, Annan stated he intended to take three new steps to support Nepal's peace process. First, he planned to deploy a technical assessment mission to determine the scope, requirements and concept for a UN political mission that could provide the assistance required to secure a peaceful transition to a constituent assembly election. Second, he planned to deploy up to 35 monitors to serve as the vanguard for the proposed monitoring of arms and armed personnel. Third, he planned to deploy up to 25 electoral personnel to begin to provide the required technical advice to the Nepali electoral authorities and the parties, including the Maoists. A Good Start For a Stronger UN Mandate -------------- ¶3. (C) Mahat stated that Annan's letter provided a good start to strengthening the existing UN peace mission in Nepal. The Government of Nepal (GON),the Minister said, had wanted the Secretary General's personal representative to the peace SIPDIS process, Ian Martin to have a stronger mandate and more resources. That was why Foreign Minister Oli had written to the Secretary General on November 16 and requested the UN's assistance "as quickly as possible." The GON's request pertained not only to the five areas set forth in the identical August 2006 letters from Prime Minister Koirala and Maoist Supremo Prachanda to Annan, the original basis for the UN Mission, but also to specific provisions of the November 8 Agreement. The Ambassador agreed that the letter was very positive. He added that Ian Martin was expected to arrive in New York on November 27 and would presumably be involved in pushing for a possible Presidential Statement and, at a later date, a UN Security Council Resolution. UN Security Council Action Desired -------------- ¶4. (C) The Finance Minister said that the UN Security Council could give the UN peace mission an even stronger mandate. He asked that the U.S. use its influence in this regard. A stronger mandate would embolden Martin and his team to take a more pro-active role in addressing the Government's concerns about the draft tripartite technical agreement that the UN was negotiating with the Government and the Maoists (septel). Even the Indians wanted to see the UN more involved. Demobilization and disarmament of combatants was very technical and only the UN had the expertise to do it successfully. If the UN were not actively involved in those two steps, Mahat remarked, the basic purpose of UN involvement would be lost. Additional U.S. Assistance Requested -------------- ¶5. (C) Minister Mahat asked if the United States would be able to provide additional assistance with the transition leading up to elections scheduled for June 2007. He asked specifically about assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs),the elections and police. The Finance Minister stated that the Government was looking for cash support for IDPs, and that priority would be given to those who had been displaced because Maoists had killed or handicapped their family members or had confiscated their property or burned their homes. For the police, the Nepali Government wanted vehicles, communications equipment, assistance for infrastructure reconstruction and training. The Ambassador indicated that IDPs were important and that he would look into what the U.S. could do. Mahat noted that the Indians were providing some communication equipment and vehicles to the police as well as training. The Ambassador stressed police training was important and was an area where the U.S. could probably be helpful. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) The Secretary General's November 22 letter to the Security Council President is excellent news indeed. If we understand the letter correctly, Annan is proposing simultaneously to deploy a technical assessment mission and a vanguard of up to 35 arms monitors as well as up to 25 election monitors to Nepal. What appears to be needed now is the Security Council's imprimatur. Kari Karanko, the Finnish Charge d'Affaires, told the Ambassador November 24 that Finland had 15 personnel assigned to the peacekeeping mission in Sri Lanka who could be deployed immediately to Nepal even without UNSC action. He said that Norway has five monitors ready to go. There may be additional countries that can help bridge the gap on a bilateral basis. However, the sooner the Security Council acts, the more likely it becomes that Nepal will get the assistance it needs. MORIARTY