US embassy cable - 05KATHMANDU1293

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001293 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, NP, Government of Nepal (GON) 
SUBJECT: NEPAL: KING TO QATAR, SON PARAS TEMPORARILY IN 
CHARGE 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 00638 
 
Classified By: Charge Elisabeth Millard. Reason 1.4 (b/d) 
 
1. (U) His Majesty King Gyanendra and his wife departed Nepal 
for Doha, Qatar on June 13 to participate in the Second 
Summit Conference of the Developing Countries. Their 
Majesties travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 18 
before returning to Nepal on June 22. As he did last time he 
left the country in April to attend the African-Asian Summit 
in Indonesia, the King constituted a Council of Royal 
Representatives under the chairmanship of Crown Prince Paras 
to discharge duties during his father's absence. 
 
2. (C) The King plans to address the Second Summit Conference 
of the Developing Countries on its opening day, June 15. In a 
national address in Nepal on June 12, the King said the Group 
of 77 and China, participants in the Qatar conference, 
provided a collective voice and common platform for 
developing nations. The King is not expected to have any 
sidebar meetings with Indian officials as only the Minister 
of State for External Affairs is scheduled to attend the Doha 
meeting according to Nischal Pandey, son of current Minister 
of Foreign Affairs and close Embassy contact.  Pandey said 
the King would grant an audience to the Bangladeshi Prime 
Minister. In UAE, the King was to meet with Prince Al-Thani. 
 
3. (U) The King's trip also coincides with a tourism and 
trade fair; the King planned to inaugurate the first ever 
"Promote Nepal 2005" trade fair in Doha, Qatar on June 14. 
Nepalese workers in Doha are scheduled to host a civic 
reception in honor of the King on June 14. More Nepalis work 
in Qatar than any country other than Saudi Arabia; in March 
Foreign Minister Pandey signed Nepal's first labor agreement 
with Qatar to safeguard the interests of the approximately 
95,000 Nepalis working there(Reftel).  Valid for four years, 
the accord guarantees Nepali laborers their contractual 
salary and other benefits. 
 
4. (C) Nischal Pandey told EmbOff that Qatar would give His 
Majesty's Government of Nepal (HMGN), rather than an 
employment agency, a quota for additional Nepalese workers. 
HMGN was considering using this quota to attract Maoist 
rebels to give up arms and obtain an overseas job in Qatar, 
where the average salary was 2000USD per month. 
 
5. (C) Comment: The departure of the King signals his 
confidence in the current security situation in Nepal. 
MILLARD