GOI PRESSING MAOISTS TO FOREGO VIOLENCE, OPPOSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 004729 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM KPKO ECON ENRG MASS IN NP SUBJECT: GOI PRESSING MAOISTS TO FOREGO VIOLENCE, OPPOSES UNSC ACTION ON NEPAL REF: USUN NEW YORK 1287 Classified By: Ambassador David C. Mulford for reasons 1.4 (B,D) UN Role Needed, but not UNSC Action -------------- ¶1. (C) On July 5 Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran agreed with the Ambassador's assertion that the UN needs to play a role in Maoist disarmament and welcomed the Government of Nepal's (GON's) dispatch of a letter to this effect. Saran underlined the need for the Maoists to disarm. In a separate July 5 discussion, MEA Director (North) Vikas Swarup told PolOff that the UN role in Nepal should be restricted solely to the decommissioning of weapons. ¶2. (C) Swarup rejected the suggestion that a UN role in disarmament may require UNSC action, stating that the GOI prefers that the issue be handled in the UNGA, which it believes has sufficient authority to do so (he did not elaborate on what this would mean). Swarup noted that other similar monitoring cases (such as Guatemala) did not require UNSC action. He stated that the GON has indicated that it agrees with the GOI's stance regarding the need to keep the issue out of the UNSC. Swarup further reported that the GOI wants a non-uniformed force under a UN flag to monitor the arms decommissioning. The GOI is keenly interested in working with the US Mission in New York on this issue, and when GON preferences become clearer, the dialogue should continue, Swarup noted. Maoists Must Honor Their Agreements -------------- ¶3. (C) In his meeting with the Ambassador, Saran maintained that the GOI had sent the GON and the Maoists strong messages that the Maoists must adhere to their cease-fire commitments. He also reported that the Maoists had withdrawn checkpoints set up to collect "taxes" after India had demanded their removal or threatened to close those border posts. Saran remarked that India had also cautioned the Maoists not to increase activity from their district headquarters, noting reports of the Maoists usurping the government's role in the countryside. ¶4. (C) Emphasizing that "We are putting as much pressure as we can" on the Maoists, Saran added that Koirala's severe pneumonia has complicated the situation and could leave a political vacuum that the Maoists might exploit. Saran lamented the GON's decision to send Koirala to Bangkok, which he asserted may have been driven by the Thai wife of his nephew. Swarup noted that while Koirala's health had improved in recent days and he was "out of danger," he must unfortunately balance the requirements of his health and politics, because he cannot take a long leave of absence during the current political upheaval. ¶5. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: (http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) MULFORD