US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU2330

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 002330 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS, LONDON FOR POL/GURNEY, NSC FOR MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PREL, NP, Maoist Insurgency 
SUBJECT: NEPAL: MAOISTS CRITICIZE U.S. MILITARY ASSISTANCE 
 
REF: 
 
1. IN RESPONSE TO LOCAL PRESS REPORTING ON A/S ROCCA'S 
OCTOBER 29 TESTIMONY TO CONGRESS AND A NOVEMBER 26 ARTICLE 
IN THE VERNACULAR PUBLICATION JANA ASTHA (PEOPLE'S FAITH), 
THE MAOISTS POSTED A STATEMENT ON THEIR WEBSITE 
(WWW.CPNM.ORG) TITLED "MOCKERY OF U.S. DEMOCRACY: PEACE IN 
LIPS, GUNS IN HANDS."  THE STATEMENT CRITICIZES THE U.S. 
GOVERNMENT FOR PROVIDING LETHAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO THE 
GOVERNMENT OF NEPAL (GON) WHILE AT THE SAME TIME 
ADVOCATING A POLITICAL SOLUTION THROUGH PEACEFUL 
NEGOTIATIONS.  SIGNIFICANTLY, THE MISINFORMED AND POORLY- 
WRITTEN JEREMIAD INCLUDES NO/NO THREATS AGAINST AMERICAN 
CITIZENS OR U.S. INTERESTS. 
 
2. THE JANA ASTHA ARTICLE, TO WHICH THE MAOISTS REACTED, 
ERRONEOUSLY ALLEGES THAT THE U.S. PLANS TO PROVIDE TEN 
HELICOPTERS, EACH WORTH USD 10 MILLION, TO THE GON.  THE 
SECOND ARTICLE, REPORTING ON A/S ROCCA'S TESTIMONY, 
MISTAKENLY ASSUMES THAT THE 20,000 M-16 RIFLES MENTIONED 
BY ROCCA WERE IN ADDITION TO THE RIFLES ALREADY DELIVERED. 
EXCERPTS FROM THE MAOIST POLEMIC ARE PROVIDED BELOW. 
 
3. BEGIN TEXT: 
 
ACCORDING TO THE PRESS REPORT OF NEPAL, THE U.S. 
IMPERIALIST RULERS HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE 20,000 M-16 RIFLES 
TO HELP THE ROYAL TERRORISTS OF NEPAL IN ORDER TO KILL THE 
NEPALESE PEOPLE.  SIMILARLY, JANA ASTHA WEEKLY PUBLISHED 
FROM KATHMANDU ON 26 NOVEMBER HAS REPORTED THAT THE U.S. 
IS GOING TO HAND OVER 10 "HEGS" HELICOPTERS WORTH 10 
MILLION DOLLARS (740 MILLION NEPALI RUPEES) PER 
HELICOPTER... 
 
THE U.S. IMPERIALISM HAS SENT 5,000 M-16 RIFLES BEFORE AND 
A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO SUPPRESS THE MAOIST 
REVOLUTIONARIES.  THIS IS THE BUSINESS OF U.S. 
IMPERIALISM: USING THE CIVIL WAR FOR SELLING WEAPONS AND 
EARNING MONEY, SUPPRESSING THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT AND 
THE NATIONAL LIBERATION MOVEMENT AND SUPPORTING THE MOST 
REACTIONARY ELEMENT DECORATING THEM AS DEMOCRATS. 
 
IN THE RECENT DAYS, THE U.S. IMPERIALISTS HAVE ISSUED A 
STATEMENT AND SAID THAT THEY WANT THE POLITICAL SOLUTION 
IN NEPAL THROUGH PEACEFUL MEANS.  THEY ALSO RESTATED [THE] 
POSITION OF SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WHO HAVE BEEN URGING 
THE NEPALESE OLD REGIME TO END CONFLICTS WITH THE NEPALESE 
PEOPLE THROUGH DIALOGUE.  BUT THE U.S. HAS PLAYED A DOUBLE 
STANDARD: DISHONESTY AND HYPOCRISY BY COMMITTING A 
CONTRADICTORY ACTIVITY UTTERING PEACE IN THE LIPS AND 
LIFTING WEAPONS IN HANDS TO SLUG THE REAL PEACE. 
 
END TEXT. 
 
4. COMMENT.  THE POORLY-WORDED MAOIST STATEMENT APPEARS TO 
HAVE BEEN WRITTEN IN HASTE, IN REACTION TO THE TWO-DAY-OLD 
JANA ASTHA ARTICLE.  INTERESTINGLY, THE STATEMENT WAS 
PUBLISHED ON THE MAOISTS' ENGLISH-LANGUAGE WEBSITE ONLY -- 
CLEARLY INTENDED FOR WESTERN, NOT NEPALI, CONSUMPTION.  BY 
SINGLING OUT U.S. POLICY FOR CRITICISM VERSUS THAT OF 
OTHER "EUROPEAN COUNTRIES," THE MAOISTS HAVE AGAIN 
DEMONSTRATED THEIR DESIRE TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN THE 
U.S. AND OTHER DONOR GOVERNMENTS.  END COMMENT. 
 
MALINOWSKI