US embassy cable - 04KATHMANDU947

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000947 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL - GURNEY 
NSC FOR MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, NP, Political Parties 
SUBJECT: NEPAL:  KING TO MEET LEADERS OF PROTESTING PARTIES 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 938 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: CDA JANET BOGUE.  REASON:  1.5 (B,D). 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  According to Palace and party sources, King 
Gyanendra will meet the leaders of the five protesting 
political parties on May 19 at 6:30 p.m.  A royal confidant 
has suggested that the May 19 discussion may be followed by 
subsequent meetings with the heads of the two largest 
parties.  Charge has urged both Palace and party 
representatives to use this important opportunity to work 
together to resolve the political impasse.  End summary. 
 
2.  (C)  Early on May 19 Prabhakar Rana, King Gyanendra's 
confidant and business partner, told Charge that the King had 
invited the leaders of the five protesting political parties 
to the Palace later in the evening.  Rana cautioned that it 
was unlikely that this initial meeting would produce 
agreement on a new Prime Minister.  Instead, the King may 
decide to meet again with only the leaders of the two largest 
parties, the Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist 
Leninist (UML) and the Nepali Congress (whether separately or 
together was unclear), specifically on that topic.  (In an 
earlier conversation Rana had indicated that G.P. Koirala, 
the 80-year-old Nepali Congress President, never takes notes 
during meetings with the King and frequently seems to forget 
topics discussed.)  Rana added that he had advised the King 
to confine the initial discussion with the five leaders to 
just a few subjects, such as preparing for elections and/or 
how to deal with the Maoists.  Charge welcomed the King's 
decision to invite the leaders for dialogue and urged the 
Palace to cooperate with the parties to resolve the political 
stalemate. 
 
3.  (C)  Madhav Nepal, General Secretary of the UML, and Dr. 
Ram Sharan Mahat, a pominent Nepali Congress Central 
Committee member and a close advisor to Koirala, confirmed to 
Charge that party representatives will attend the meeting. 
Charge urged the parties to view the invitation as an 
opportunity to work with the King to overcome the deadlock 
and restore democracy. 
 
BOGUE