US embassy cable - 04KATHMANDU954

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000954 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL - GURNEY 
NSC FOR MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, NP, Political Parties 
SUBJECT: NEPAL:  PARTY LEADERS, KING HOLD FIRST MEETING; 
MORE MAY FOLLOW 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 947 
 
Classified By: CDA JANET BOGUE.  REASON:  1.5 (B,D). 
 
1.  (U) On May 19 King Gyanendra and the leaders of five 
protesting political parties held their first meeting since 
the May 7 resignation of Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa 
and the beginning of the parties' "decisive" anti-Palace 
campaign on April 1.  Press reports on the meeting, based on 
the party leaders' accounts, were generally neutral in tone, 
characterizing the initial discussion as inconclusive but 
indicating cautious hope for an eventually favorable outcome. 
 All reports indicate there was no discussion of individual 
names to be included in a potential new Cabinet. 
 
2.  (C)  Prabhakar Rana, King Gyanendra's business partner 
and confidant, called Charge the morning of May 20, upon 
instruction from the monarch, to provide a readout of the 
meeting.  Rana described the atmosphere at this initial 
exchange as "reasonably good," noting that all participants 
kept to the agenda and did not use the meeting as an 
opportunity to trade accusations or complain about the past. 
According to Rana, the King told the party leaders that 
formation of a new government is "completely possible," but 
must take place within the framework of the Constitution. 
(Note:  Given the dubious constitutionality of the previous 
two governments appointed by the King, it is not at all clear 
what this means.  The party leaders apparently did not press 
the King for clarification.  End note.)  The King also 
stipulated that the other three parliamentary parties not in 
the five-party alliance (the Nepali Congress (Democratic), 
the National Democratic Party, and the Nepal Sadbhavana 
(Mandal)) be consulted on the formation of a possible new 
government.  None of the political leaders present objected 
to this requirement, Rana reported. 
 
3.  (C)  With this first meeting with all five leaders now 
over, the way is open for separate dialogue between the King 
and individual party leaders, Rana said.  Such meetings might 
start as early as May 21 but are not likely before May 23, he 
suggested.  He added that he had spoken with Nepali Congress 
President G.P. Koirala and Communist Party of Nepal - United 
Marxist Leninst (UML) General Secretary Madhav Nepal after 
the meeting as well to urge their cooperation and follow-up. 
The party leaders need not abide by protocol and await a 
summons from the King to resume dialogue, Rana said, but 
should feel free to contact the Palace whenever they would 
like to meet.  (Comment:  Given what we know of Palace 
protocol and the leaders' traditional circumspection with 
regard to initiating communication with the King, we find the 
informal scenario suggested by Rana highly improbable.)  He 
also recommended that Koirala and Nepal, as a show of good 
faith, tone down their daily demonstrations against the King. 
 (Note:  Fortunately, heavy rains throughout the day May 20 
precluded mass rallies and demonstrations anyway.  It will be 
interesting to see if the demonstrations resume with their 
usual anti-Palace vitriol with better weather.)  Rana asked 
Charge to weigh in with the party leaders as well, 
particularly the curmudgeonly Koirala.  Charge undertook to 
do so. 
 
4.  (SBU)  Embassy discussions with party spokesmen produced 
more guarded assessments of the initial discussion.  Nepali 
Congress Spokesman Arjun Narasingh K.C. said the meeting 
marked a beginning point for dialogue; as such, "we don't 
take it negatively."  UML Central Committee member Bharat 
Mohan Adhikary was even more noncommittal, reporting that the 
King just listened to the participants' comments and 
suggestions without revealing his own thoughts.  "We can't 
say if (the meeting) was positive or negative," he concluded. 
 Nepal Sadbhavana member Hriyadesh Tripathi was yet more 
critical, charging that the inconclusiveness of this initial 
discussion--and the King's suggestion that he might call 
others for separate, subsequent talks--implied a lack of 
seriousness and sense of urgency on the monarch's part. 
 
5.  (C)  Comment:  Despite the unenthusiastic read-outs 
provided by their representatives, the party leaders' own 
restrained, muted public responses after the meeting offer 
the best indication that the politicians are hoping this new 
dialogue with their inscrutable monarch will prove fruitful 
and are trying, at least for now, not to poison the 
atmosphere.  We will quietly continue to urge both sides to 
pursue this long-awaited opportunity to resume dialogue. 
 
BOGUE