US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU1723

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001723 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL - GURNEY 
NSC FOR MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, UK, NP 
SUBJECT: NEPAL:  PRELIMINARY READ-OUT ON MEETING BETWEEN 
KING GYANENDRA AND BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY 
 
REF: A. LONDON 7151 
     B. KATHMANDU 1713 
     C. KATHMANDU 1692 
     D. KATHMANDU 1620 
 
Classified By: AMB. MICHAEL E. MALINOWSKI.  REASON:  1.5 (B,D). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (S)  According to the British Ambassador's read-out of 
the September 4 meeting between King Gyanendra and British 
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in London, the King said that he 
would reach out to the political parties only if efforts to 
revive negotiations with the Maoists fail.  The King also 
reportedly voiced suspicions regarding India's motives and 
activities in Nepal.  Straw reportedly raised allegations of 
human rights abuses committed by the Royal Nepal Army in the 
eastern district of Ramechhap (Ref D), warning that credible 
evidence of such violations could jeopardize British security 
assistance.  The British Ambassador could provide only a 
preliminary read-out, as he did not participate in the 
meeting himself but received his information second-hand 
through FCO channels.  Further details may emerge upon the 
King's return to Kathmandu on September 10.  If the account 
as related is accurate, however, we are concerned that the 
King may be missing an important opportunity to achieve the 
hoped-for reconciliation with democratic political leaders. 
End summary. 
 
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MAOISTS ON THE MIND; 
PARTIES LAST RESORT 
---------------------- 
 
2.  (S)  UK Ambassador Keith Bloomfield provided the 
Ambassador with a preliminary read-out of the September 4 
meeting between King Gyanendra and British Foreign Secretary 
Jack Straw in London.  (Note:  Amb.  Bloomfield did not 
attend the meeting, but received the account from FCO 
channels.  End note.)  According to Bloomfield, the King said 
that the interim government of Prime Minister Surya Bahadur 
Thapa had not fulfilled its mandate to obtain a negotiated 
settlement to the Maoist conflict.  The King said his 
immediate priority upon returning to Nepal will be to bring 
the Maoists back to the negotiating table.  (Note:  The King 
left Nepal on August 24, three days before the Maoists broke 
a seven-month ceasefire.  He is expected to return on 
September 10.  End note.)  Should it prove impossible to do 
so, he acknowledged that he would have to give attention to 
the parties, but added that he could not ignore their 
foolishness in the past.  In an apparent reference to the 
Government of Nepal (GON) ban on rallies and assemblies, he 
asserted that the government should be allowed to govern. 
 
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HUMAN RIGHTS ALLEGATIONS 
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3.  (S)  Straw reportedly raised the killings of 17-19 
Maoists by the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) in Ramechhap District 
on August 17 (Ref D).  He indicated there was credible 
evidence, including a video, that gross human rights 
violations--possibly even war crimes--had taken place. 
(Note:  The UK Embassy here has shared with us notes from an 
unidentified "impeccable" source alleging the RNA summarily 
executed 19 prisoners.  It is not clear if the source was an 
eyewitness, a soldier, a Maoist, or how he had obtained his 
information.  The notes included no mention of a videotape. 
An independent panel appointed by the National Human Rights 
Commission has investigated the incident and should be 
releasing its report within the next few days.  End note.) 
If the allegations prove true, such violations would endanger 
UK security assistance to Nepal, he warned.  He noted the 
UK's experience in Northern Ireland had demonstrated the 
importance of respect for human rights in the context of an 
insurgency.  The King showed surprise upon hearing the 
allegations and said he had not received similar reports. 
 
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KING COOL TOWARD INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION; 
BLAMES INDIANS 
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4.  (S) Bloomfield said that Straw inquired if the GON were 
trying to marshal mediation/negotiation assistance from 
international sources.  The King parried the query by noting 
that the Indians are sensitive and generally unreceptive to 
the possibility of international mediation in Nepal.  It is 
hard to know what the Indians are up to in Nepal, the King 
continued, charging that they politicize even seemingly 
innocuous matters in the countries' bilateral relations. 
 
5.  (C)  Straw reportedly raised the possibility of a 
trilateral meeting on Nepal on the fringes of the UNGA with 
him, the Indian Foreign Minister, and the Secretary of State. 
 The King seemed to welcome the idea. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (S) Since unilaterally breaking the ceasefire on August 
27, the Maoists have engaged in a campaign of terror, 
including attacks on security forces, abductions and murders 
of civilians, and assassination attempts on key GON figures, 
that demonstrates to us no immediate inclination to resume 
negotiations.  The usually recalcitrant political parties, on 
the other hand, displayed uncharacteristic flexibility and 
good sense in toning down their September 4 protests to avert 
the likelihood of Maoist-instigated violence and to offer a 
gesture of reconciliation to the Palace.  But the parties' 
gesture was clearly predicated on the expectation of a 
reciprocal gesture from the King, i.e., an offer to form an 
all-party interim government and/or to reinstate Parliament 
(Ref C).  The parties' mistrust of the Palace already borders 
on paranoia; a perception that they were "tricked into" 
modifying their protest will only deepen their long-held 
suspicions.  If the King fails to respond to the parties' 
overture, he will lose a valuable opportunity to improve this 
important relationship and to cultivate key allies in the 
government's fight against the Maoists. 
MALINOWSKI