PRIME MINISTER TAKES FIRM STAND ON ARMS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 003253

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER MARR PREF CASC UN BT NP
SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER TAKES FIRM STAND ON ARMS
MANAGEMENT, MAOIST PRESSURE

REF: SECSTATE 179582

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Nicholas J. Dean. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Prime Minister GP Koirala, who was recovering from a
cold, stressed to the Ambassador December 20 that he would
not permit the Maoists to enter the interim government until
arms management was complete. He confirmed, however, that he
had agreed to promulgate the interim constitution and stand
the interim parliament up with Maoist participation once UN
monitoring of Maoist combatants and separation of their arms
began. Koirala, who was joined by his Foreign Policy Advisor
Dr. Chalise, was not pleased by the Maoist declaration
December 19 of a nationwide strike in response to the
Government of Nepal's nomination of ambassadors and human
rights commissioners, but he did not seem overly concerned.
The Prime Minister indicated the GON would not back down on
the nominations. The Ambassador urged the GON to get its
message out and asked the PM when the GON intended to
reestablish law and order. He cited recent Maoist extortion
of American citizens. At the conclusion, the Ambassador
handed over the original of a letter from Assistant Secretary
of State for Population, Refugees and Migration on Tibetan
refugees (reftel). He also urged the Prime Minister to move
ahead on resettlement of Bhutanese refugees.

Koirala Ailing But Getting Better -- Slowly
--------------


2. (C) The Ambassador began his December 20 meeting with
Prime Minister GP Koirala by asking after his health. The
Prime Minister admitted he had not been feeling well. He was
still recovering from a cold and the process was taking time.
The Ambassador asked if his condition was like it had been
in the spring of 2006 when the Prime Minister was often
incapacitated, and the Prime Minister confirmed that was the
case. Koirala volunteered that he was having trouble
breathing properly and had to take oxygen when he went up the
stairs and when he came down. The Ambassador responded that
we and the whole country of Nepal were praying for him.

Maoists In Interim Government Only After Arms Management
Complete
-------------- --------------


3. (C) The Prime Minister confirmed to the Ambassador that he
had held firm in negotiations over the interim constitution
that concluded on December 16 that the Maoists would not be
permitted to join the interim government until the UN had
completed the process of cantonment of Maoist combatants and
separation of their arms. The Ambassador congratulated him
on his strong stand. Koirala added, however, that he had
agreed to promulgate the interim constitution once the UN
process of arms monitoring commenced. The establishment of
the interim parliament would follow immediately thereafter.
That would mean, his Foreign Policy Advisor Dr. Chalise
confirmed, that the Maoists would be in the interim
parliament while the process of arms management was still
going on. The Prime Minister was insistent, however, that
the Maoists would not be allowed into the interim government
until the arms management process was complete and the
Maoists knew that.

Maoist Transportation Strike
--------------


4. (C) Although he was not pleased, the Prime Minister did
not seem overly concerned by the nationwide transportation
strike that the Maoists had declared on December 19. Koirala
was adamant that he did not intend to reverse the Cabinet's
December 18 decision to nominate fourteen Ambassadors
(including Dr. Chalise as Ambassador to the U.S.) as well as
four members of the National Human Rights Commission. The PM
said he had told the Maoists prior to the Cabinet decision
that they would be given several Embassies once they joined
the interim government. This was a case, he stated, of the
Maoists flexing their muscles. The Ambassador said this was

to be expected.

Ongoing Maoist Abuses; Law and Order
--------------


5. (C) The Ambassador encouraged the GON to get its message
out. The Government was fulfilling its obligations under the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Maoists were not. They
were still recruiting new and underage Nepalis into their
People's Liberation Army (PLA). The Prime Minister replied
that the United Nations had made it clear that it would not
register the new recruits and children would not be
registered as combatants. The Ambassador responded that that
was fine, but the Government needed to say publicly every
other day to these new recruits and children that they would
not be registered, paid or given Government jobs; they needed
to return to their villages. Dr. Chalise conceded that the
GON had been overly defensive. The Ambassador asked when the
GON intended to start enforcing law and order. The Prime
Minister and Chalise emphasized that the Government was
re-establishing police posts. The Ambassador cited the case
of several Americans in Kathmandu who had faced Maoist
extortion demands the week of December 11. The PM said those
cases would be investigated. In response to a question from
the Ambassador on how the U.S. could help, the Prime Minister
promised to let us know.

Tibetan and Bhutanese Refugees
--------------


6. (C) The Ambassador handed over the original of a letter
conveyed earlier from Assistant Secretary for Population,
Refugees and Migration Sauerbrey requesting the Prime
Minister's assistance with Tibetan refugees (reftel). Dr.
Chalise said that he would look it over and discuss it with
the Prime Minister. The Ambassador also took the opportunity
to urge the Prime Minister to move ahead on third-country
resettlement of Bhutanese refugees. The United States, the
Ambassador said, was aware of Foreign Minister Oli's concern
about holding a summit meeting with his Bhutanese counterpart
in Thimpu on this issue when the Nepali government was about
to change. The Ambassador emphasized, however, that it also
did not make sense to wait until the meeting (which was
planned for November and then postponed to December) was
rescheduled. The Prime Minister did not respond.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) It was good to hear from the Prime Minister himself
that he has no intention of allowing the Maoists into the
interim government until the UN has completed the arms
management process. Nevertheless, the Maoists will continue
to probe for ways to undermine the PM's firm stand. Post
will push the GON and UN Secretary General's personal
representative Ian Martin and his team to not allow the
arrival of a few arms monitors (possibly before the end of
December) or the hiring of ex-Gurkhas to serve as a
sufficient basis for hasty promulgation of the interim
constitution. The new constitution should not be promulgated
until all 35 of the initial group of UN arms monitors are on
the ground. All of the 21 satellite PLA camps will also have
to be agreed upon. It was encouraging as well to learn that
Koirala does not intend to back down on nominations of senior
officials in the face of Maoist pressure tactics. As the
Prime Minister himself said, the Maoists do not have the
strength they claim to have and will face considerable
animosity, particularly in the countryside, as soon as
Nepalis feel free enough to express their true opinions.
DEAN