Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KATHMANDU879
2007-05-01 11:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
NEPAL ABLE BUT UNWILLING TO ASSIST IN IRAQ
how-toVZCZCXRO2218 OO RUEHCI DE RUEHKT #0879 1211148 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 011148Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5792 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 5683 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 5988 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 1210 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 4010 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 5303 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1384 RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 3429 RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 2646 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000879
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR PM/RSAT, SCA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2017
TAGS: MARR MASS MOPS PREL PTER IZ NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL ABLE BUT UNWILLING TO ASSIST IN IRAQ
REF: STATE 55436
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Robert Hugins. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)
(C) NEPAL does not currently contribute troops to Iraq. It
has troops with significant experience in international
peacekeeping and peace enforcement. The NEPAL Army might
even be interested in service in Iraq, but, in Post's view,
Nepal's coalition interim government has no political will to
deploy troops to Iraq or to contribute civilian resources.
Although news of Iraq appears on a daily basis in the Nepali
media, NEPAL has no significant political or economic ties to
Iraq. In September 2004, rioting broke out in Kathmandu and
vandals targeted Muslim businesses and perceived Muslim
business after 12 Nepali laborers were killed in Iraq. The
then (and current) Nepali Prime Minister, G.P. Koirala, had
to appeal publicly for calm and ordered a curfew in the
capital. Since 2004, it has been illegal for Nepalis to work
in Iraq, although a small number of Nepalis are employed
there -- some willingly as contractors for security and
manpower firms and others after being trafficked. Given all
the other challenges he faces at this time, Post believes
that Prime Minister Koirala (who also holds the Defense
portfolio) would be unwilling to deploy troops to Iraq. Even
if he were to support the idea, Post sees no scenario in
which his coalition partners -- particularly the Maoists, but
also the center-left Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist
Leninist -- would concur.
HUGINS