Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08KATHMANDU1287
2008-12-16 08:10:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
NEPAL REQUESTS SIX-MONTH EXTENSION FOR UNMIN
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C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001287
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV UN MARR NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL REQUESTS SIX-MONTH EXTENSION FOR UNMIN
Classified By: Ambassador Nancy J. Powell. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)
UNMIN Extension Requested
-------------------------
C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001287
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV UN MARR NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL REQUESTS SIX-MONTH EXTENSION FOR UNMIN
Classified By: Ambassador Nancy J. Powell. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)
UNMIN Extension Requested
--------------
1. (C) According to the United Nations Mission in Nepal
(UNMIN),on December 12, 2008, the Permanent Representative
of Nepal to the UN, Madhu Raman Acharya, formally requested
an additional six-month extension of UNMIN's mandate when the
current mandate expires on January 23, 2009. The operative
language of the one-page letter addressed to UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon asks for "an extension of the current
mandate and the related works of UNMIN by another six
months." UNMIN Senior Political Advisor Kathy Jones told
Emboff December 15 that UNMIN was disappointed the letter did
not say more about a specific role for UNMIN in coordinating
technical assistance to the integration process. The letter
notes that the Government of Nepal is "making sincere efforts
to operationalize as early as possible the Special Committee
which, among other things, will also decide on the future of
the armed personnel currently living in the cantonments."
But it makes no mention of a UN or international role in that
process. Jones explained that Prime Minister Pushpa Dahal
had told UNMIN chief Ian Martin that he did not have the
ability politically to request a more detailed mandate
without a recommendation from the Special Committee.
UNMIN Moving Ahead As Best It Can
--------------
2. (C) Jones said that UNMIN planned to send its draft of the
Secretary General's next report to the UN Security Council
(UNSC) on Nepal to UN Headquarters in New York the evening of
December 15. She stated that the Secretary General would not
issue the report until January 9, so there was time for
changes. She added, however, that she did not anticipate a
big push by UNMIN for revisions. UNMIN was planning to make
do with what it had. It might make it a little difficult to
bring in an anticipated small group of staff to focus on
integration, but she thought that could be finessed. The
British, she said, seemed satisfied that the letter would
suffice to move the extension forward. Jones expected that
the Security Council would approve the extension at its
meeting on January 16, but would register its unhappiness
about the lack of progress in Nepal's peace process.
Comment
--------------
3. (C) Nepal's formal request for another six-month extension
in UNMIN's mandate is good news. We were also pleased to
hear December 16 from opposition Nepali Congress (NC) leader
Prakash Mahat that PM Dahal had obtained NC's blessing before
dispatching the extension request. Post recommends, however,
that while the USG should support the mandate extension, we
should also strongly urge the Nepali Government at the UNSC
meeting in January to move ahead with the peace process,
including operationalizing the Special Committee. Neither
the U.S. nor the other UN member countries can be expected to
fund this political mission indefinitely. Moreover, the
continued lack of progress in this area makes progress on the
already difficult tasks of constitution drafting and
government administration even more complicated.
POWELL
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV UN MARR NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL REQUESTS SIX-MONTH EXTENSION FOR UNMIN
Classified By: Ambassador Nancy J. Powell. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)
UNMIN Extension Requested
--------------
1. (C) According to the United Nations Mission in Nepal
(UNMIN),on December 12, 2008, the Permanent Representative
of Nepal to the UN, Madhu Raman Acharya, formally requested
an additional six-month extension of UNMIN's mandate when the
current mandate expires on January 23, 2009. The operative
language of the one-page letter addressed to UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon asks for "an extension of the current
mandate and the related works of UNMIN by another six
months." UNMIN Senior Political Advisor Kathy Jones told
Emboff December 15 that UNMIN was disappointed the letter did
not say more about a specific role for UNMIN in coordinating
technical assistance to the integration process. The letter
notes that the Government of Nepal is "making sincere efforts
to operationalize as early as possible the Special Committee
which, among other things, will also decide on the future of
the armed personnel currently living in the cantonments."
But it makes no mention of a UN or international role in that
process. Jones explained that Prime Minister Pushpa Dahal
had told UNMIN chief Ian Martin that he did not have the
ability politically to request a more detailed mandate
without a recommendation from the Special Committee.
UNMIN Moving Ahead As Best It Can
--------------
2. (C) Jones said that UNMIN planned to send its draft of the
Secretary General's next report to the UN Security Council
(UNSC) on Nepal to UN Headquarters in New York the evening of
December 15. She stated that the Secretary General would not
issue the report until January 9, so there was time for
changes. She added, however, that she did not anticipate a
big push by UNMIN for revisions. UNMIN was planning to make
do with what it had. It might make it a little difficult to
bring in an anticipated small group of staff to focus on
integration, but she thought that could be finessed. The
British, she said, seemed satisfied that the letter would
suffice to move the extension forward. Jones expected that
the Security Council would approve the extension at its
meeting on January 16, but would register its unhappiness
about the lack of progress in Nepal's peace process.
Comment
--------------
3. (C) Nepal's formal request for another six-month extension
in UNMIN's mandate is good news. We were also pleased to
hear December 16 from opposition Nepali Congress (NC) leader
Prakash Mahat that PM Dahal had obtained NC's blessing before
dispatching the extension request. Post recommends, however,
that while the USG should support the mandate extension, we
should also strongly urge the Nepali Government at the UNSC
meeting in January to move ahead with the peace process,
including operationalizing the Special Committee. Neither
the U.S. nor the other UN member countries can be expected to
fund this political mission indefinitely. Moreover, the
continued lack of progress in this area makes progress on the
already difficult tasks of constitution drafting and
government administration even more complicated.
POWELL