US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU1314

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001314 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/04/2012 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, PINR, NP, IN, India Relations 
SUBJECT: INDIA VISIT EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS, NEPAL'S KING 
SAYS 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 1216 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michael E. Malinowski, Reasons 1.5(b),(d) 
 
1. (C) Summary.  King Gyanendra's week-long visit to India in 
late June "exceeded his expectations," a businessman close to 
Nepal's monarch told the Ambassador July 3.  In New Delhi the 
King received assurances of Indian support conditioned on the 
maintenance of Nepal's constitutional monarchy and 
multi-party system.  Gyanendra pledged to protect both, and 
adduced his assent to the Nepali Prime Minister's request to 
dissolve Parliament as evidence of his commitment to the 
constitutional system.  The King reportedly pressed Home 
Minister Advani to take more decisive action against Maoists 
operating in India and to share information on terrorists 
reportedly operating in Nepal.  Third-country security 
assistance to Nepal was not an issue in the King's meetings, 
and in fact Defense Minister Fernandes extended an offer to 
help fill gaps in foreign assistance.  Our interlocutor also 
reviewed meetings with opposition leader Sonia Gandhi and 
former PM Chandrasekhar.  The King travels to China July 
9-15.  End Summary. 
 
India Trip Exceeds Monarch's Expectations 
----------------------------------------- 
 
2. (C) Nepal's King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah reported that 
his June 23-28 visit to India "exceeded his expectations in 
virtually all respects," a Nepali businessman with extremely 
close ties to the monarch told Ambassador and DCM July 3. 
Prabhakar Rana (strongly protect) said the King had asked him 
the night before to relate to the Ambassador his assessment 
of his trip to India, his first foriegn visit since his 
accession to the throne in June 2001.  Echoing a Royal Palace 
press notice issued just before the King's departure for New 
Delhi, Rana labeled the themes of the visit as "continuation" 
and "consolidation" (Reftel).  The King felt press coverage 
of the trip had been "generally good," Rana added. 
 
India Conditions Support on Continuation of Democracy 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
3. (C) In India the King used every opportunity to brief his 
interlocutors on both the security situation in Nepal and 
what Rana termed "the big political mess in Kathmandu."  The 
Indians--including PM Vajpayee--made it clear that India 
would support any and all measures to deal with the 
insurgency as long as two elements remained:  the 
constitutional monarchy and a multi-party system.  Gyanendra 
replied that both he and his late brother King Birendra saw 
themselves as protectors of the constitutional system, and he 
offered assurances that the multi-party system was here to 
stay. 
 
King Commits to Constitutional Role 
----------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) PM Vajpayee reportedly asked the King during their 
private meeting why he had agreed to Nepal's Prime Minister 
Deuba's request to dissolve Parliament.  Gyanendra replied 
that his role as constitutional monarch gave him no choice 
but to go along.  The only alternative would be to change 
Nepal's political system.  Rana did not know whether in India 
the King had addressed the possibility of his having to 
intervene politically should elections fail to take place in 
November, sparking a constitutional crisis.  (Note:  The DCM 
related to Rana the concerns of some Nepali politicians that 
if elections failed to take place and the King had to step 
in, forces in the palace would press for scrapping the 
multi-party system and restoring a Panchayat-style regime 
like that which ruled Nepal during 1960-1990.  Rana admitted 
that some in the palace might hold such views, but insisted 
that those individuals do not have political standing.  He 
was categorical that there was no possibility of abrogating 
the party system and going back to something else.  End Note.) 
 
5. (C) Vajpayee had agreed that Nepal's palace would maintain 
close relations with the PM's office in New Delhi, and 
expressed no opposition to the King also developing direct 
relations with the Indian Home Minister. 
 
King Presses Home Minister Advani 
--------------------------------- 
 
6. (C) In a meeting with Home Minister Advani, the King 
reiterated that Nepal was committed to opposing terrorists of 
any stripe, Rana told us.  The King had been firm with 
Advani, telling him that India's policy on Nepal's Maoists 
would have to change, implicitly to one more forthright and 
decisive.  The King also asked Advani why he had not 
consulted with the GON before making public statements 
claiming Islamic militant groups were operating in Nepal. 
When the King asked whether India had passed information 
about the groups to Kathmandu, Advani replied that thought so 
but would check.  The King added that if India provides solid 
information about such activity, Nepal would take action. 
Advani expressed his agreement to maintaining direct links 
between his ministry and Nepal's Royal Palace. 
 
Third-Country Security Aid to Nepal Not at Issue 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
7. (C) Rana was not aware of India expressing concerns to the 
King about U.S. or other outside security assistance coming 
into Nepal.  He knew of only one occasion when the recent 
London meeting on aid to Nepal was mentioned:  the King's 
meeting with Defense Minister Fernandes.  Fernandes had not 
expressed concern about third-country military assistance. 
On the contrary, he offered that India stood ready to fill 
gaps in needed security assistance to Nepal, including 
short-term shortfalls.  The King and Fernandes had discussed 
Nepal's specific defense needs in some detail, Rana said. 
(Note:  Rana indicated that in New Delhi the King had been 
briefed on the London conference by Ministry of External 
Affairs (MEA) Joint Secretary Meera Shankar.  Her briefing 
jibed with the one Rana heard from the British Charge in 
Kathmandu who had attended the meeting in London, Rana said. 
This was evidence, in Rana's view, that the MEA was being 
more open and cooperative with the GON than it had been in 
the past.  End Note.) 
 
Meeting with Opposition Leader 
------------------------------ 
 
8. (C) Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi stuck to personal 
matters in her meeting on Nepal's King, leaving substantive 
issues to her economic advisor and former Finance Minister 
Manmohan Singh.  (Note:  Manmohan Singh's appearance 
surprised the Nepalis, who had expected Gandhi's political 
advisor, Natwar Singh, to join her as their substantive 
interlocutor.  End Note.)  The King briefed the Congress 
Party leader on the security and domestic political 
situations in Nepal.  Gandhi agreed that the King would keep 
up direct contact with the party through Manmohan Singh. 
 
Chandrasekhar 
------------- 
 
9. (C) Former PM Chandrasekhar--who has close ties to Nepal's 
former PM Girija Prasad Koirala--paid a call on King 
Gyanendra in New Delhi.  The King anticipated that the 
leftish former PM would criticize the continued campaign 
against the Maoists, so he preempted the line of questioning 
by first asking how India could allow the Nepali Congress 
Party (NCP) to split.  Chandrasekhar replied that he no 
longer has the influence with the NCP that he once had.  The 
King pressed Chandrasekhar for help in marshalling assistance 
to counter Nepal's Maoists insurgency. 
 
Next Stop: China 
---------------- 
 
10. (C) King Gyanendra, who departs for China for a six-day 
state visit July 9, said he expected his trip there to be 
less problematic than his India visit.  The King had 
considered the trip to India "riskier" because of the 
possibility of domestic criticism, as many Nepalis harbor 
deep suspicions about their southern neighbor. 
MALINOWSKI