Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09KATHMANDU705
2009-07-30 10:57:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
NEPAL: POTENTIAL NEPALI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.
VZCZCXRO0233 OO RUEHCI DE RUEHKT #0705 2111057 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 301057Z JUL 09 FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0563 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 7056 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 7373 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 2704 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 5416 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 6543 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 3149 RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 0262 RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 4688 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2375 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 3600 RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000705
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM OFDP PGOV PHUM PREL NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: POTENTIAL NEPALI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.
IDENTIFIED
REF: KATHMANDU 697
UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000705
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM OFDP PGOV PHUM PREL NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: POTENTIAL NEPALI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.
IDENTIFIED
REF: KATHMANDU 697
1. (SBU) Summary: Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala has
nominated Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma as Ambassador to the
United States. Sharma is a longtime economic advisor to the
government and has been an adviser to the Koirala family.
Political factors may derail the nomination, which must be
approved by the Nepali cabinet, so it is by no means certain
that Sharma will be reporting to Washington any time soon.
End summary.
Nine Potential Ambassadors
--------------
2. (U) Post has confirmed July 30 press reports that
Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala presented a list of nine
ambassadorial candidates to the cabinet on July 29, including
nominees to become ambassadors to the US, UK, UN, France,
India, South Africa, Brazil, Kuwait, and Egypt. The cabinet,
which includes the Nepali Congress (NC),the Communist Party
of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (UML) and the Madhesi
People's Rights Forum (MPRF) parties, must approve all
ambassadorial nominations. According to a UML party member,
party leaders are displeased and may not approve the
nominations because all of the nominees are reportedly
affiliated with Koirala,s NC party. Cabinet members have
thus decided to postpone any decision on approving the
nominee list.
Ambassador to U.S.
--------------
3. (U) The nominee for Ambassador to the United States is
Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma. Sharma is a former Vice Chairman
of the National Planning Commission and a Professor of
Economics at Nepal's Tribhuvan University. He served as a
Senior Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance and also
worked at the East-West Center in Hawaii for eight years. He
is a close personal adviser to Nepali Congress leader G.P.
Koirala and the Koirala family. Sharma received his Ph.D. in
Economics from the University of Hawaii in 1985. He went to
the United States on an International Visitors Program in
1999. He was born in 1953 in Okhaldhunga District.
4. (SBU) Post has received no official request for agrement,
presumably because the cabinet has yet to approve the
nomination. The previous Maoist government submitted an
agrement request for another nominee to become U.S.
Ambassador, but Koirala told Charge on July 28 that the
current government wished to withdraw that request.
Katawal to France
--------------
5. (SBU) According to press reports, the list of nominees
also includes Nepal Army Chief of Staff General Rukmangad
Katawal as Ambassador to France. Katawal announced earlier
in the week that he intended to retire from the Army in
September, in accordance with Army regulations. Koirala told
Charge on July 28 that she was adamantly opposed to any
ambassadorial nomination for Katawal (reftel),suggesting
that colleagues in the government overruled her objections.
Comment
--------------
6. (SBU) It is by no means certain that Dr. Sharma or the
other nominees will be confirmed as ambassadors. UML
contacts had neither positive nor negative comments about
Sharma or any other nominees, but there was clear displeasure
over the lack of inclusiveness in creating the ambassadorial
list. It is possible that the list may be revised to
accommodate other parties in the coalition government.
MOON
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM OFDP PGOV PHUM PREL NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: POTENTIAL NEPALI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.
IDENTIFIED
REF: KATHMANDU 697
1. (SBU) Summary: Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala has
nominated Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma as Ambassador to the
United States. Sharma is a longtime economic advisor to the
government and has been an adviser to the Koirala family.
Political factors may derail the nomination, which must be
approved by the Nepali cabinet, so it is by no means certain
that Sharma will be reporting to Washington any time soon.
End summary.
Nine Potential Ambassadors
--------------
2. (U) Post has confirmed July 30 press reports that
Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala presented a list of nine
ambassadorial candidates to the cabinet on July 29, including
nominees to become ambassadors to the US, UK, UN, France,
India, South Africa, Brazil, Kuwait, and Egypt. The cabinet,
which includes the Nepali Congress (NC),the Communist Party
of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (UML) and the Madhesi
People's Rights Forum (MPRF) parties, must approve all
ambassadorial nominations. According to a UML party member,
party leaders are displeased and may not approve the
nominations because all of the nominees are reportedly
affiliated with Koirala,s NC party. Cabinet members have
thus decided to postpone any decision on approving the
nominee list.
Ambassador to U.S.
--------------
3. (U) The nominee for Ambassador to the United States is
Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma. Sharma is a former Vice Chairman
of the National Planning Commission and a Professor of
Economics at Nepal's Tribhuvan University. He served as a
Senior Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance and also
worked at the East-West Center in Hawaii for eight years. He
is a close personal adviser to Nepali Congress leader G.P.
Koirala and the Koirala family. Sharma received his Ph.D. in
Economics from the University of Hawaii in 1985. He went to
the United States on an International Visitors Program in
1999. He was born in 1953 in Okhaldhunga District.
4. (SBU) Post has received no official request for agrement,
presumably because the cabinet has yet to approve the
nomination. The previous Maoist government submitted an
agrement request for another nominee to become U.S.
Ambassador, but Koirala told Charge on July 28 that the
current government wished to withdraw that request.
Katawal to France
--------------
5. (SBU) According to press reports, the list of nominees
also includes Nepal Army Chief of Staff General Rukmangad
Katawal as Ambassador to France. Katawal announced earlier
in the week that he intended to retire from the Army in
September, in accordance with Army regulations. Koirala told
Charge on July 28 that she was adamantly opposed to any
ambassadorial nomination for Katawal (reftel),suggesting
that colleagues in the government overruled her objections.
Comment
--------------
6. (SBU) It is by no means certain that Dr. Sharma or the
other nominees will be confirmed as ambassadors. UML
contacts had neither positive nor negative comments about
Sharma or any other nominees, but there was clear displeasure
over the lack of inclusiveness in creating the ambassadorial
list. It is possible that the list may be revised to
accommodate other parties in the coalition government.
MOON