Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07NEWDELHI1622
2007-04-04 14:32:00
SECRET
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:  

PM KOIRALA UPDATES ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER ON

Tags:  PREL PGOV NP BT IN 
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 001622 

SIPDIS

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV NP BT IN
SUBJECT: PM KOIRALA UPDATES ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER ON
NEPAL

Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 001622

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV NP BT IN
SUBJECT: PM KOIRALA UPDATES ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER ON
NEPAL

Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (S) SUMMARY: Assistant Secretary Boucher met Prime
Minister Koirala of Nepal April 3 on the sidelines of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit, and
assured him that the U.S. supported the Government of Nepal,
despite misgivings regarding Maoist entry into the Interim
Government. Also in attendance on the Nepalese side were
Finance Minister Ram Saran Mahat, Foreign Policy Advisor
Suresh Chalise, Foreign Secretary G.C. Acharya, and Sujata
Koirala, Prime Minister Koirala's daughter and member of the
Interim Parliament. Koirala asked us to consider how quickly
we could supply modern weapons to Nepal's army, if necessary,
to backfill a transfer of Army rifles to Nepal's police. The
Election Commission would decide whether or not Constituent
Assembly elections, scheduled for June 22, would be delayed,
taking the onus off of Koirala and his government. India
could settle the violence in the Terai if it wanted to,
opined Koirala, and he had pressed the Indians in his
meetings here. Bhutan should be required to take back a
substantial number of refugees said Koirala, echoed by Mahat,
Chalise and Acharya, and Koirala would discuss the matter
with the Bhutanese Prime Minister April 4. END SUMMARY.

Koirala Asks For Affirmation of U.S. Support
--------------


2. (C) Prime Minister Koirala opened a meeting on the
sidelines of the Fourteenth South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation summit April 3 by asking Assistant
Secretary Boucher if the U.S. had misgivings regarding the

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new Nepal Interim Government, which included Maoists.
Boucher assured him that, while retaining concerns regarding
Maoists, and noting that the process of their inclusion in
the government needed to be carefully managed, the U.S.
maintained strong support for Prime Minister Koirala and his
government. Prime Minister Koirala responded that he was
very pleased that Ambassador James Moriarty in Kathmandu has
been speaking frankly and publicly about the problems the
Maoists are still causing. Finance Minister Dr. Ram Saran

Mahat and the Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Policy, Dr.
Suresh Chalise, echoed that Moriarty was the only Ambassador
that had been openly critical of the Maoists, for which they
were grateful.

A Question of Law and Order
--------------


3. (S) The Seven Parties Alliance and the Maoists had signed
a common document, requiring the Maoists to renounce their
activities, Koirala stated. From this point forward, the
Government of Nepal would take strong action if the Maoists
were seen carrying arms or involved in anti-government
activity, emphasized Koirala, adding that they had been given
seven days to completely shut down the use of arms. Asked if
the Government of Nepal had enough police capacity to enforce
law and order, Koirala replied that the Nepalese National
Army was standing by with the government, adding that the
army was Nepal's strength. Koirala asked Boucher if the U.S.

NEW DELHI 00001622 002 OF 003


would consider arming the Nepalese National Army with modern
weapons, if they were needed, to backfill a transfer of
self-loading rifles to the police, noting that the Chief of
the Army had told him that they would be unarmed and helpless
if a struggle broke out now. He had assured the Army,
Koirala continued, that he could get arms within fifteen days
from anywhere in the world if needed.

Election Commission to Decide on Election Delays
--------------


4. (C) Koirala had insisted that the eight parties decide on
the date of Constituent Assembly elections, which are
scheduled to be held June 22, so that no one could later hold
the decision against him, he said. The onus would now be on
the Election Commission to decide whether it would actually
be feasible to hold elections on that date, averred Koirala.
The Commission is already saying elections on June 22 would
be difficult.

India Could Settle Terai Violence If It Wanted
--------------


5. (C) Turning to the Nepal's southern Terai region, Koirala
complained that the ethnic Indian Madhesis and other
minorities there were demanding more and more. "The Terai is
in fear of India," opined Koirala, arguing that India could
settle the matter of violence in the region if it wanted.
India's rightist Bharataya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian
Hindu fundamentalists were exploiting the situation, Koirala
conjectured, noting that India's bordering states and the
coalition governments in place there were sensitive issues
for India. Boucher noted that he would suggest that the
Government of India use its influence in the Terai, and
questioned whether Koirala was engaged in dialogue with the
Madhesis. Koirala replied that the Government of Nepal had a
different type of mechanism for such dialogue, and that it
was up to the Parliamentary Speaker to initiate talks with
the political groups of the Terai. He indicated that the
Parliamentary Speaker had already begun an indirect dialogue
with those groups.

The Home Minister - A Card to Be Played
--------------


6. (C) Referring to the controversial Home Minister Krishna
Prasad Sitaula, Koirala said that he had told the Minister he
must act resolutely to maintain law and order. Acknowledging
that Madhesis and other protesting groups had called for
Sitaula's resignation, Koirala claimed that they had not
given him a guarantee that they would cease violence and
protesting if the Home Minister resigned. "I must be assured
that there will be peace once the Home Minister resigns.
That is my holding card," exclaimed Koirala.

Bhutan Must Take Back Some Refugees
--------------


7. (C) Koirala confirmed that he would meet April 4 with the

NEW DELHI 00001622 003 OF 003


Bhutanese Prime Minister to discuss the Bhutanese refugees
residing in Nepal. Koirala's position, echoed by Chalise and
Acharya, was that Bhutan should repatriate a substantially
large number of refugees, that a solution must include all of
the refugees residing in Nepal, and that there must be
condemnation of Bhutanese policy toward these refugees.
Boucher maintained that the Bhutanese should take some
refugees back and take responsibility for their actions, as
well as take steps internally to begin giving citizenship to
all people born in Bhutan, but that the ultimate goal should
be to resolve the problem and ensure that all refugees are
repatriated or resettled, leaving no one behind. Koirala
challenged that the U.S. should not have offered to resettle
60,000 refugees, commenting that this had been a bad message
to give the Bhutanese. Boucher reiterated that it would be
bad for the refugees and bad for Nepal to leave the situation
unresolved, noting that it was the refugees who would be
stuck waiting for a solution, and, furthermore, that there
had been reports of Maoist activity in the refugee camps.
Chalise relayed that the Government of Nepal wanted the
Bhutanese to take both Category 1 and 2 refugees. If they
only took Category 1 refugees (Note: Bona fide Bhutanese.
End note.) now, they could deny Category 2 refugees (Note:
Bhutanese emigrants. End note.) later, he said, adding that
the Nepalese greatly appreciated the U.S. offer to take
60,000 refugees, but that the Government of Nepal did not see
that as a total solution to the problem. He added that the
Government of India could convince Bhutan to take a greater
number of refugees back.


8. (U) Assistant Secretary Boucher has cleared this message.
MULFORD