NEPAL: COMPROMISE ON ARMY INTEGRATION SPECIAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000002 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/02/2019 TAGS: PGOV PTER MARR KDEM NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: COMPROMISE ON ARMY INTEGRATION SPECIAL COMMITTEE REF: A. 08 KATHMANDU 1163 ¶B. 08 KATHMANDU 1154 Classified By: Ambassador Nancy J. Powell. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) ON December 26, Nepal's four major political parties agreed to equal representation ON the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC). The question now is whether the parties can finalize the AISC's leadership and terms of reference. If successful, this would end a stalemate that has prevented the committee from addressing the integration of the former Maoist combatants into Nepal's security forces. Parties Compromise ON Composition of Special Committee -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) ON December 26, Nepal's four largest political parties in the Constituent Assembly reached a compromise ON the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC),the first major movement in regards to the committee since its establishment, after long delays, ON October 28. According to media reports, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist),the Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist (UML),the Nepali Congress (NC),and the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) agreed to have two representatives each ON the committee. The parties also decided to finalize the terms of reference through consensus. Unresolved Leadership Issue -------------- ¶3. (C) As of January 2, disagreements over the chairmanship of the AISC continue. The Maoists have proposed that Prime Minister Pushpa Dahal lead the expanded AISC. The UML is unwilling to give up the chairmanship. The NC, meanwhile, strongly prefers that a non-Maoist head the powerful body. Prakash Mahat, a senior NC leader, told Emboff January 2 that the NC ultimately would FOLLOW the decision the Maoists and UML make. Stalemate Stalled Committee -------------- ¶4. (U) The AISC, which Article 146 of Nepal's interim constitution empowers to supervise, integrate, and rehabilitate former Maoist combatants, has had a rocky START (reftels). The other political parties objected to the Maoists heading the committee and delayed its creation. In late October, three of the four largest parties agreed to a five-person AISC under the leadership of Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev Gautam of the UML. Defense Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa (Maoist),Peace and Reconstruction Minister Janardan Prabhakar Sharma (Maoist),MPRF leader Mohammad Habibullah, and one person from the NC were to round out the AISC. The NC refused to appoint a representative. The main opposition party, believing that it had not been adequately consulted about the committee, balked at allowing two Maoists ON the AISC. It also rejected the terms of reference set by the Maoist-led government because they were not consistent with the terms set out in the June 2008 agreement to amend the interim constitution and move forward with the peace process. Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) The apparent willingness of the major political parties to compromise ON the body that will tackle the integration issue is a positive step, but only a beginning. Increasing the number of AISC members from five to eight and allowing each party equal representation is likely to foster more goodwill among politicians and the population at large than would a committee, tasked to devise an integration KATHMANDU 00000002 002 OF 002 scheme, that is 40 percent Maoist. Particularly promising is the ostensible change of heart by the Nepali Congress. ON January 1, the NC agreed to end its boycott of parliamentary proceedings after the Prime Minister committed to addressing the NC's nine-point demands, including the return of property seized by Maoist cadres. We hope these developments are the beginning of a new phase of political cooperation rather than a blip before the return to the quarreling status quo. With former combatants idling in cantonments, army recruitment in limbo, and time ticking for a new constitution, the political parties can ill afford to delay. POWELL