Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09KATHMANDU512
2009-06-17 08:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

NEPAL: FORMER PM DAHAL TELLS A/S BLAKE MAOISTS ARE

Tags:  PREL PTER KDEM NP 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1119
OO RUEHCI
DE RUEHKT #0512/01 1680841
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 170841Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0319
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 6990
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 7313
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 2637
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 5355
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 6489
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 3073
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 4628
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2336
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3545
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KATHMANDU 000512 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2019
TAGS: PREL PTER KDEM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: FORMER PM DAHAL TELLS A/S BLAKE MAOISTS ARE
COMMITTED TO PEACE

REF: A. KATHMANDU 461

B. KATHMANDU 164

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Jeffrey Moon. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)

Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KATHMANDU 000512

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2019
TAGS: PREL PTER KDEM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: FORMER PM DAHAL TELLS A/S BLAKE MAOISTS ARE
COMMITTED TO PEACE

REF: A. KATHMANDU 461

B. KATHMANDU 164

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Jeffrey Moon. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Maoist chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Dahal
told visiting Assistant Secretary Robert Blake on June 12
that his party is committed to the peace process and to
drafting the constitution on time. The former Prime Minister
spelled out the Maoists' goals for the peace process,
including for integration of Maoist combatants, and for the
constitution. Dahal described the transformation his party
has undergone since the "People's War" as miraculous and said
he is continuing to transform the party. He claimed its
conversion to multiparty democracy genuine. Assistant
Secretary Blake explained that before the United States could
lift the terrorist designations on the Maoists, they will
have to renounce violence, end violence by the Maoist Young
Communist League, participate constructively in the peace
process and address the remaining open issues stemming from
attacks on U.S.-affiliated persons and a U.S. facility during
the insurgency. End Summary.

Maoists Committed to Peace Process, New Constitution
-------------- --------------


2. (C) In a meeting on June 12 with visiting Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake,
Maoist chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Dahal
stressed that his party is committed to the peace process,
and intends to be actively involved in drafting Nepal's new
constitution. Dahal said that both of these issues are the
result of the Maoists' agenda and the Maoists refuse to be
derailed in completing them. Nepalis care about the peace
process. Likewise, the drafting process needs to be finished
within the prescribed time frame. Despite problems, the
Maoist chairman noted, there is a continuous dialogue and
debate among and within the parties on next steps. Everyone,
he stated, is trying to reach a consensus. Dahal added that
Nepal requires the support of the international community,
including the United Nations and the United States.
Assistant Secretary Blake emphasized the importance of Maoist
engagement and the need by the Maoists and the other parties

to set aside party interests and work together for the
national interest.

Peace Process and Maoist Combatants
--------------


3. (C) The former Prime Minister implied that the peace
process failed to make more progress because the Maoist
government was brought down prematurely. His government
tried to move ahead. It established the Special Committee on
Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist
Combatants, and its Technical Committee. The Technical
Committee visited some of the cantonments. Dahal noted that
he set a deadline of completing the integration process by
July 15, a deadline which would have been possible. The
Maoist chairman claimed that his party never said all of its
19,600 verified combatants should be integrated into the
Nepal Army. The party's goal is that a maximum 5-7,000, "not
a large number," be integrated. Dahal volunteered that he is
willing to continue chairing the Special Committee, if asked
creating a more conducive atmosphere for integration. When
asked if the ex-People's Liberation Army fighters would serve
loyally in the NA, Dahal insisted they would. They would no
longer be part of the Maoist army. The former Prime Minister
remarked that his party wants the combatants to become
professionalized. At the same time, the Maoists want to see
the NA, traditionally loyal to the "feudal" monarchy,
democratized.

Role of the Army Chief, Issue of Disqualified
--------------

KATHMANDU 00000512 002 OF 004




4. (C) Dahal said that Chief of Army Staff Rookmangut Katawal
in particular is very traditional. Admittedly, under his
leadership, the NA did not resist the removal of the monarchy
and the declaration of the republic. That gave a positive
signal unlike the Army's role in the crackdown during the
2006 People's Movement. The former Prime Minister said he
tried unsuccessfully to change Katawal's behavior. Dahal
indicated that his effort to "accelerate" the process of
democratization of the NA helped bring down his own
government in May. With respect to the 4,000 minors and
other disqualified in the camps, the Maoist chairman replied
that the answer is to give them suitable "packages,"
including vocational training. The UN Development Program is
prepared to help.

Drafting the Constitution, Federal Models
--------------


5. (C) The former Prime Minister stated that the Maoists have
not disturbed the Constituent Assembly in drafting the new
constitution. One of the Maoist-chaired committees was among
the first to present its concept paper for debate. He also
argued that the differences between the parties can be
overcome. All the parties agreed to multiparty democracy,
human rights and a federal system. The Maoists want a
federal state based primarily on ethnicity. The other major
parties had different ideas. They want a federal model based
largely on geography. The Maoists want a presidential
system. In his party's view, Nepal needs a powerful central
government to unite the country, especially in a federal
system. Others envision a continuation of the existing
Westminster system. Most of the parties favored a bicameral
legislature at the center with one house for the regions or
states and one based on population.

Maoist Transformation
--------------


6. (C) Dahal remarked that four years earlier the Maoists
were in the jungle leading the "People's War." But then the
party entered into the peace process and the situation
evolved to where the Maoists led the country's government for
nine months. These were historical and miraculous
developments. Naturally, there were twists and turns, but
the Maoists as a party have changed. The decision to embrace
the peace process and multiparty democracy came after a
serious debate within party ranks. The Maoists came to
understand that other revolutionary movements failed because
they did not accept multiparty democracy. Dahal said he
knows that many people continue to have suspicions about the
Maoists' intentions, but he has done his best to allay those
fears, including in his speech to the UN General Assembly in
New York in 2008. The Maoist chief admitted that his party
wanted to seize power, but it wanted to do so through the
ballot box. His dream is that the Maoists would win a
majority in the next general election. He cited the results
in the CA by-elections in April as evidence that his party's
popularity was increasing. (Note: The Maoists won 3 of the 6
races.) The former PM added fears that the Maoists would win
a majority if they continued in government led other parties
to bring down the Maoist-led coalition.

A/S Blake's Challenge to the Maoists
--------------


7. (C) Amb. Blake challenged Dahal to prove his party's
commitment to multiparty democracy by renouncing violence,
including ending violence by the Maoist Young Communist
League (YCL). The Maoist chairman responded that some level
of violence is normal for Third World countries like Nepal,
but claimed that the YCL has already changed. When pressed,
he conceded that the YCL might be involved in some
local-level disputes. However, he said the Youth Force (the
militant youth wing of the Communist Party of Nepal - United
Marxist Leninist or UML) is also to blame. All of Nepal's
major parties, including the Nepali Congress and the UML,

KATHMANDU 00000512 003 OF 004


have come out of armed struggles. The Maoist party is simply
the last one to go through that process. A/S Blake replied
that the Maoists were the largest party, so what they did
matters.

Lifting the U.S. Terrorist Designations
--------------


8. (C) The Assistant Secretary listed four steps that the
Maoists would have to take before the U.S. could take the
Maoists off the Terrorist Exclusion List and the Specially
Designated Global Terror list. First, they need to renounce
the use of terrorism and violence. Dahal's statement when he
was PM condemning the Mumbai terror attacks was not
sufficient. Second, they needed to reform the YCL. Third,
they need to address U.S. concerns about the killing of two
Embassy guards and the bombing of the American Center in
Kathmandu during the Maoist insurgency. The Maoist chairman
appeared to be unfamiliar with the bombing of the American
Center, but he responded that he authorized senior Maoist
leader Barsha Man Pun to address these issues to the
satisfaction of the Embassy. (See Ref B on the last round of
talks between the Deputy Chief of Mission and Pun.) Amb.
Blake and Charge d'Affaires Randy Berry explained that we
still expect the Maoists to make an admission of guilt to the
families of the guards and to the National Human Rights
Commission. Lastly, the Maoists need to remain engaged in
the peace process. It is now up to the Maoists to act.

U.S. Public Stance on Maoists
--------------


9. (U) At a June 12 press conference at the conclusion of his
visit, journalists asked A/S Blake about the political role
of the Maoists and the U.S. government's designation of the
Maoists as terrorists. A/S Blake stated that the Maoists had
made a great deal of progress toward becoming a mainstream
political force and emphasized the importance of the Maoists
remaining engaged in the democratic process. He urged the
Maoists to work constructively to achieve peace in Nepal.
With regard to the terrorist designation, he stated that
factors the United States would take into consideration
included whether the Maoists renounced violence and
terrorism, ceased the violent activities of the Young
Communist League, and worked to support the peace process.
When asked when the terrorist designation might be removed,
A/S Blake replied that when Maoists would take the necessary
steps was for the Maoists to decide.

Comment
--------------


10. (C) While the Maoists have no doubt undergone a
significant transformation in recent years, they have only
themselves to blame for the continued skepticism about their
commitment to peace and multiparty democracy. While Dahal
may lay most of the blame for his government's fall on other
parties, it was his party's failure to maintain the
confidence of its coalition partners over the Nepal Army
issues that was the coalition's downfall. The Maoist
chairman may regard the integration of 5-7,000 Maoist
combatants into the Nepal Army as not many, but post is
doubtful other major parties will share that view. It is
good that the former Prime Minister is sanguine that the
parties can resolve their differences over the constitution,
but the Maoist-inspired agitation in the streets of Kathmandu
and many outlying districts and its continued obstruction of
the Assembly's parliamentary work cannot help but impair the
CA's ability to debate their difference and reach the
necessary compromises. The YCL certainly has no monopoly on
the use of violence for political ends, but it has not yet
been reformed as completely as Dahal claims. Pun is the
right person to address the legacy of Maoist violence against
U.S. interests during the insurgency -- if the Maoist
leadership has the will to act. In response to A/S Blake's
remarks at the press conference, C.P. Gajurel, the head of
party's foreign department and a noted hardliner, condemned

KATHMANDU 00000512 004 OF 004


the U.S. conditions as "unacceptable."


11. (U) Assistant Secretary Blake cleared this message.
MOON