US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU1008

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001008 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL - RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2012 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, NP, Government of Nepal (GON) 
SUBJECT: KING'S VIEWS ON DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT 
 
REF: A. (A) KATHMANDU 996 
 
     B. (B) KATHMANDU 1005 
     C. (C) KATHMANDU 1007 
 
Classified By: AMB. MICHAEL E. MALINWOSKI.  REASON:  1.5 (B,D). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1,  (C) In a May 23 meeting with Ambassador Malinowski and 
British Charge Andrew Mitchell, King Gyanendra emphasized his 
support for the Constitutional democracy.  The King said he 
had tried to impress upon Deuba that the current crisis 
presents him an opportunity to address the country's problems 
without having to worry about political bickering and 
backstabbing.  He approved the dissolution contingent upon 
Deuba's appointment of a smaller, more efficient, 
non-partisan Cabinet.  He stressed the importance of the 
elections taking place within the stipulated time.  End 
summary. 
 
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KING SEES "UNFORTUNATE" SITUATION 
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2.  (C) On the evening of May 23, Ambassador Malinowski and 
British Charge Andrew Mitchell met with King Gyanendra to 
discuss the dissolution of Parliament and upcoming elections 
in November (Ref B).  The two envoys also briefed the King on 
their meetings earlier with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba 
and Opposition Leader Madhav Kumar Nepal (Refs A and C).  The 
King, who already seemed well apprised of the meetings, said 
he viewed the current situation as "unfortunate."  Deuba had 
told the King that he saw no other alternative to the 
dissolution of Parliament when he approached him for his 
consent the previous evening, The timing is especially bad, 
the King observed, coming as it does on the heels of recent 
Army successes against the Maoists and Deuba's successful 
visits to the U.S. and UK to marshal international aid 
against the insurgency.  It is not his role to become 
involved in partisan politics, the King emphasized; he deals 
only with the Prime Minister on a regular basis.  He agreed 
with the Ambassador and the British Charge, however, that for 
a party president to attempt to force his own views on a 
sitting Prime Minister, as Nepali Congress Party President 
G.P. Koirala did to Deuba, seems to contradict the true 
spirit of democracy.  The King revealed that Deuba had come 
to him three weeks previously to discuss a possible 
dissolution of Parliament.  The King had indicated he would 
not oppose such a move, but Deuba ultimately decided to give 
"party politics" one more chance to play out.  (Comment: 
Deuba's desire not to visit Washington and London as a prime 
minister without a Parliament is another possible reason for 
the delay.  As we had reported earlier, the PM had floated 
the idea of the dissolution of Parliament before us and the 
British April 12.    End comment.) 
 
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CONTINGENT UPON CABINET 
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3.  (C) The King said he gave Deuba his consent to the May 22 
dissolution of the Lower House of Parliament contingent upon 
the PM's formation of a small, efficient, non-partisan 
Cabinet.  He had tried to impress upon the troubled PM that 
the crisis actually represents an opportunity for both Deuba 
and the nation.  Because he doesn't have to worry about 
playing politics anymore, Deuba can really focus on solving 
the problems his country is grappling with.  (The Ambassador 
suggested that Deuba could even release his current Cabinet 
members from their duties with the explanation that they have 
to concentrate on upcoming elections.)  The King agreed with 
the two envoys' assessment that Deuba may be too fixated on 
healing the party rift and on his immediate political future 
within the party to concentrate on forming such a Cabinet at 
the moment, and expressed hope that the PM will use his May 
24 televised address to the nation to speak to some of these 
issues.  The Ambassador noted the six months before the 
election give Deuba an important chance to demonstrate his 
seriousness about prosecuting corruption.  The King agreed, 
but noted that Deuba does not want to appear vindictive by 
going after perceived enemies.  He urged the Ambassador and 
the British CDA to continue their efforts to counsel 
politicians from all parties on the need to put the national 
interest first before personal political gain at this crucial 
time. 
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ELECTIONS MUST BE ON TIME 
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4.  (C)  The King emphasized numerous times that in agreeing 
to the dissolution he had also stipulated to Deuba that the 
new elections must not be postponed beyond the November 13 
deadline.  He reiterated the PM's statement that elections 
could be staggered to take place in different districts on 
different days (Ref A).  He said he had even suggested the PM 
open up the elections to the Maoists for participation, if 
they have agreed to disarm and called a ceasefire by then. 
(A big if.)  Should, however, the elections have to be 
delayed, perhaps for security reasons, the King noted, "I may 
have to do something else."  He did not elaborate on what 
"something else" might be.  The Ambassador and the British 
Charge stressed that the Constitution could not be abrogated, 
no matter what the situation. 
 
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UPPER HOUSE TO BE DISSOLVED 
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5.  (C)  The King reported that he had just received a 
request from the Cabinet to dissolve the Upper House of 
Parliament.  He said that he would do so the following 
day--May 24. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (C)  The King's emphasis on the need for timely elections 
and his respect for the Constitution are reassuring.  More 
questionable is his cryptic allusion to having to do 
"something else" if events forestall the polls.  We will 
continue to use every opportunity to stress to the Palace the 
need for any action to remain within Constitutional 
boundaries.  In the next few days, the Ambassador and the 
British Charge will have several occasions to meet with other 
diplomats and representatives of foreign and international 
aid agencies, in which they can emphasize the same themes. 
Additional opportunities will occur when the British Charge 
sees the King again May 24 in conjunction with the visit of 
the Chief of Defense Staff of the British armed forces 
(equivalent to our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), 
and the Ambassador dines with the PM on May 27. 
MALINOWSKI