Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08KATHMANDU853
2008-07-29 10:03:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
NEPAL: GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000853
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Randy W. Berry. Reasons 1.4 (b/d
).
Summary
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000853
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Randy W. Berry. Reasons 1.4 (b/d
).
Summary
--------------
1. (C) Political parties, under Maoist leadership, have
finally begun earnest talks on government formation. Nepali
Congress leaders are concerned that the Communist Party of
Nepal - United Marxist Leninist will split from Congress in
favor of an alliance with the Maoists, while the United
Marxist Leninist leaders are weighing their options. Student
groups have agreed to end their protests against
Vice-President Jha taking his oath in Hindi. Negotiations
are likely to take some time, with ups and downs before
concluding.
Maoists Taking Lead in Government Formation
--------------
2. (U) Now that the wrangling over the positions of
President, Vice-President, and Chairman of the Constituent
Assembly has been resolved, the political parties have begun
talks on government formation in earnest. On July 28 the
Maoists took the lead and invited all 25 parties represented
in the Constituent Assembly together to discuss government
formation (consensus government under Maoist leadership) and
a common program for the government. (Note: Two parties,
Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and the National People's
Power Party, which have four and three members respectively,
did not attend the meeting. End note.) Maoist leaders
appeared satisfied with the discussion and have announced
they will call another 25-party meeting once they have
drafted a proposal.
NC and UML Leadership Weighing Options
--------------
3. (C) Prakash Sharan Mahat, Central Committee Member and
Constituent Assembly Member for Nepali Congress (NC),told
Emboff July 29 that to NC the Maoists appear closer to the
Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist (UML) now.
(Note: An early morning meeting on July 29 between caretaker
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Madhav Kumar Nepal,
former General Secretary and now Head of the Foreign
Department of the UML, appears intended to shore up the
NC-UML alliance in face of Maoist overtures to the UML. End
note.) He stated that Prime Minister Koirala planned to meet
separately with Madhesi Forum leader Upendra Yadav, UML
General Secretary Jhalanath Khanal, and Maoist leader Pushpa
Kamal Dahal to discuss government formation and the upcoming
SAARC Summit. Mahat opined that he did not see government
formation taking place soon.
4. (C) Bhim Rawal, Central Committee Member and Constituent
Assembly Member for UML, confirmed to Emboff that due to the
morning meeting between Prime Minister Koirala and M.K. Nepal
a planned meeting between Maoist and UML leaders had been
postponed. Rawal stated that both M.K. Nepal and Jhalanath
Khanal had told the Prime Minister that President Yadav
should lead Nepal's delegation to SAARC. Rawal sounded
disappointed that the NC had ignored the UML's suggestion to
hold multi-party talks to discuss the SAARC agenda and
composition of Nepal's delegation. Both Mahat and Rawal
stated that the next 25-party meeting had not been scheduled.
Student Leaders Decide to Withdraw Protest Program Against Jha
-------------- --------------
5. (C) Representatives of eight student organizations
(affiliated with Maoists, UML, NC, Nepal Workers and Peasants
Party, Peoples Front Nepal, Marxist-Leninists, Nepal
Sadbhavana Party-Anandadevi, and Communist Party of
Nepal-Marxists) met in Kathmandu this morning and decided to
withdraw their protest program against Vice-President Jha for
having taken his oath of office in Hindi. Pradeep Poudel, NC
KATHMANDU 00000853 002 OF 002
student leader, told Emboff July 29 that after the Supreme
Court announces its decision on the writ filed against Jha,
the student organizations will consider whether to resume the
protests. (Note: July 28 the Supreme Court asked the Offices
of the Vice-President and Prime Minister to submit written
briefs regarding Jha's oath-taking in Hindi. Part 1, Article
5(2) of the Interim Constitution states that "The Nepali
language in Devnagri script shall be the official language
for Government business." The Fourth Amendment to the
Constitution lays out more details on the office of President
and Vice-President and includes the oath of office, but no
clauses deal with language. End note.) Poudel also noted
that he expected it to take some time to get the word to all
protesters, and even then some would likely continue to burn
tires and throw stones. The violence took a turn for the
worse July 28 with the Madhesi Forum youth wing setting
ablaze and ransacking the UML district office in Saptari (in
eastern Terai) in reaction against several student
organizations vandalizing the Madhesi Forum office in
Kathmandu.
Comment
--------------
6. (C) More than three months after the April 10 Constituent
Assembly elections it is a positive sign that the parties
finally appear serious about forming a new government. Some
parties, including the Maoists and NC, do not appear unified
about whether to join the new government, at least talks have
begun. PM Koirala's hope that he can remain as Prime
Minister in the new government appears to be behind his
decision to lead the SAARC delegation and to reach out to UML
leaders to keep the alliance together. No other parties
appear to be supporting the cabinet's decision to send to
SAARC an NC laden delegation led by the PM, but they may not
have enough time to agree on an alternate delegation.
Although protests against Jha may decrease, with the
country's fuel supply is very low and food prices still high
it would not take much to spark another round of unrest.
BERRY
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Randy W. Berry. Reasons 1.4 (b/d
).
Summary
--------------
1. (C) Political parties, under Maoist leadership, have
finally begun earnest talks on government formation. Nepali
Congress leaders are concerned that the Communist Party of
Nepal - United Marxist Leninist will split from Congress in
favor of an alliance with the Maoists, while the United
Marxist Leninist leaders are weighing their options. Student
groups have agreed to end their protests against
Vice-President Jha taking his oath in Hindi. Negotiations
are likely to take some time, with ups and downs before
concluding.
Maoists Taking Lead in Government Formation
--------------
2. (U) Now that the wrangling over the positions of
President, Vice-President, and Chairman of the Constituent
Assembly has been resolved, the political parties have begun
talks on government formation in earnest. On July 28 the
Maoists took the lead and invited all 25 parties represented
in the Constituent Assembly together to discuss government
formation (consensus government under Maoist leadership) and
a common program for the government. (Note: Two parties,
Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and the National People's
Power Party, which have four and three members respectively,
did not attend the meeting. End note.) Maoist leaders
appeared satisfied with the discussion and have announced
they will call another 25-party meeting once they have
drafted a proposal.
NC and UML Leadership Weighing Options
--------------
3. (C) Prakash Sharan Mahat, Central Committee Member and
Constituent Assembly Member for Nepali Congress (NC),told
Emboff July 29 that to NC the Maoists appear closer to the
Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist (UML) now.
(Note: An early morning meeting on July 29 between caretaker
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Madhav Kumar Nepal,
former General Secretary and now Head of the Foreign
Department of the UML, appears intended to shore up the
NC-UML alliance in face of Maoist overtures to the UML. End
note.) He stated that Prime Minister Koirala planned to meet
separately with Madhesi Forum leader Upendra Yadav, UML
General Secretary Jhalanath Khanal, and Maoist leader Pushpa
Kamal Dahal to discuss government formation and the upcoming
SAARC Summit. Mahat opined that he did not see government
formation taking place soon.
4. (C) Bhim Rawal, Central Committee Member and Constituent
Assembly Member for UML, confirmed to Emboff that due to the
morning meeting between Prime Minister Koirala and M.K. Nepal
a planned meeting between Maoist and UML leaders had been
postponed. Rawal stated that both M.K. Nepal and Jhalanath
Khanal had told the Prime Minister that President Yadav
should lead Nepal's delegation to SAARC. Rawal sounded
disappointed that the NC had ignored the UML's suggestion to
hold multi-party talks to discuss the SAARC agenda and
composition of Nepal's delegation. Both Mahat and Rawal
stated that the next 25-party meeting had not been scheduled.
Student Leaders Decide to Withdraw Protest Program Against Jha
-------------- --------------
5. (C) Representatives of eight student organizations
(affiliated with Maoists, UML, NC, Nepal Workers and Peasants
Party, Peoples Front Nepal, Marxist-Leninists, Nepal
Sadbhavana Party-Anandadevi, and Communist Party of
Nepal-Marxists) met in Kathmandu this morning and decided to
withdraw their protest program against Vice-President Jha for
having taken his oath of office in Hindi. Pradeep Poudel, NC
KATHMANDU 00000853 002 OF 002
student leader, told Emboff July 29 that after the Supreme
Court announces its decision on the writ filed against Jha,
the student organizations will consider whether to resume the
protests. (Note: July 28 the Supreme Court asked the Offices
of the Vice-President and Prime Minister to submit written
briefs regarding Jha's oath-taking in Hindi. Part 1, Article
5(2) of the Interim Constitution states that "The Nepali
language in Devnagri script shall be the official language
for Government business." The Fourth Amendment to the
Constitution lays out more details on the office of President
and Vice-President and includes the oath of office, but no
clauses deal with language. End note.) Poudel also noted
that he expected it to take some time to get the word to all
protesters, and even then some would likely continue to burn
tires and throw stones. The violence took a turn for the
worse July 28 with the Madhesi Forum youth wing setting
ablaze and ransacking the UML district office in Saptari (in
eastern Terai) in reaction against several student
organizations vandalizing the Madhesi Forum office in
Kathmandu.
Comment
--------------
6. (C) More than three months after the April 10 Constituent
Assembly elections it is a positive sign that the parties
finally appear serious about forming a new government. Some
parties, including the Maoists and NC, do not appear unified
about whether to join the new government, at least talks have
begun. PM Koirala's hope that he can remain as Prime
Minister in the new government appears to be behind his
decision to lead the SAARC delegation and to reach out to UML
leaders to keep the alliance together. No other parties
appear to be supporting the cabinet's decision to send to
SAARC an NC laden delegation led by the PM, but they may not
have enough time to agree on an alternate delegation.
Although protests against Jha may decrease, with the
country's fuel supply is very low and food prices still high
it would not take much to spark another round of unrest.
BERRY