REQUEST FOR AGREMENT FOR AMBASSADOR OF NEPAL TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000327 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2019 TAGS: PREL NP SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR AGREMENT FOR AMBASSADOR OF NEPAL TO THE UNITED STATES Classified By: Classified By: Ambassador Nancy J. Powell. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Nepal Requests Agrement for Shah -------------- ¶1. (U) The Government of Nepal (GON) has formally requested agrement for retired International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist and reported U.S. permanent resident Dr. Sukhdev Shah to be Nepal's Ambassador to the United States. Although the Parliamentary Special Hearing Committee was unable to reach consensus on Shah's candidacy, the Parliament forwarded his nomination to the cabinet on April 10. (Note: It takes unanimous disapproval by the 71-member committee for a nomination to be stopped. End note.) Post has already forwarded the detailed curriculum vitae to the Nepal desk. The text of the GON's diplomatic note follows: Diplomatic Note -------------- ¶2. (U) BEGIN TEXT The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United States of America in Kathmandu and has the honour to inform the esteemed Embassy that the Government of Nepal is pleased to appoint Dr. Sukhdev Shah as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Nepal to the United States of America. Dr. Shah's Curriculum Vitae is enclosed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would appreciate if Agrement of the United States of America was granted to his appointment. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of the United States of America in Kathmandu the assurances of its highest consideration. Kathmandu, 16 April 2009 END TEXT Comment -------------- ¶3. (C) Various allegations have dogged Shah since his nomination by Foreign Minister and Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) Chairman Upendra Yadav in February. Shah has publicly conceded that he faced civil charges in federal court in Virginia of exploitation of a Nepali domestic servant while Shah was working for the IMF. Shah and his maid, Sangita Satyal, reportedly reached a settlement (in 1990 or 1991) which saw her receive approximately USD 40,000 in back wages and legal fees. Trafficking is a significant problem in Nepal. It is a source country, primarily for women and children to India, and has in recent years seen rising levels of internal trafficking. Shah told the parliamentary committee that he became a Legal Permanent Resident in March 2004, but post has seen no concrete evidence of his status. POWELL