US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU312

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000312 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL - RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2013 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, NP, Political Parties, Maoist Insurgency 
SUBJECT: NEPAL:  MAOISTS MEET MAINSTREAM PARTY LEADERS IN 
KATHMANDU 
 
REF: A. (A) KATHMANDU 0292 
     B. (B) KATHMANDU 0262 
 
Classified By: AMB. MICHAEL E. MALINOWSKI.  REASON:  1.5 (B,D). 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
1.  (C)  Two members of the Maoist Central Committee have 
been meeting individual leaders of mainstream political 
parties in Kathmandu over the past few days to seek their 
support before negotiations with the Government of Nepal 
(GON).  Party sources contacted have been noncommittal about 
the tenor of the meetings and continue to express skepticism 
of the Maoists' true aims.  Narayan Singh Pun, Minister for 
Physical Planning and the GON's point man for communicating 
with the Maoists, told the Ambassador that he believes that 
international pressure was crucial in persuading the Maoists 
to agree to a ceasefire and contemplate formal peace 
negotiations.  End summary. 
 
------------------------------------ 
MAOISTS MEET PARTY LEADERS IN OPEN 
------------------------------------ 
 
2.  (C)  The local press has reported that Maoist Central 
Committee members Krishna Mahara and Dinanath Sharma have 
been holding a series of individual meetings with mainstream 
party leaders in Kathmandu since February 18.  The pair also 
reportedly met with Padma Ratna Tuladhar, a putative human 
rights activist with close and long-standing covert links to 
the Maoists. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Sushil 
Koirala confirmed that NC President G.P. Koirala had met the 
pair on Feb. 18.  He characterized the meeting as a first 
attempt by the Maoists to establish pre-dialogue lines of 
communication with the party.  The NC continues to insist 
that Parliament must be reinstated as a first step toward any 
resolution of the "current crisis." Koirala was unable or 
unwilling to characterize any Maoist response to this 
position. 
 
4.  (C)  According to Communist Party of Nepal - United 
Marxist-Leninist (UML) Central Committee Member Bharat Mohan 
Adhikari, the two Maoists met with UML leader Madhav Kumar 
Nepal on Feb. 18 as well.  Adhikari characterized the meeting 
as "interesting and useful," but added that it produced 
"nothing concrete" regarding Maoist demands or intentions. 
The pair had claimed to Nepal that the Maoists are not 
against multiparty democracy and realize that the parties 
must be included in a successful negotiation process.  The 
Maoists want to have good relations with all the parties, 
they stated.  This first meeting they described as an 
"opening" toward dialogue with the parties.  The Maoists are 
not ignoring the parties by dealing with the Government of 
Nepal (GON), they emphasized; hence their desire to meet 
party leaders before sitting down formally with the GON.  The 
two reportedly told the UML leader that "progess with the 
government is not running smoothly," but added that the 
insurgents will soon meet with the GON regarding a code of 
conduct for the ceasefire. 
 
5.  (C)  Adhikari said Nepal, in response to the pair's 
assertions about wanting good relations with the parties, 
complained about Maoist killings of UML activists, especially 
during the past year.  The Maoists disingenuously disputed 
that their cadre had been killing UML members, and proposed 
setting up a "commission" to "inquire" into the incidents. 
The Maoists implied during the meeting that they no longer 
oppose the constitutional monarchy, Adhikari observed, 
although he cautioned that they did not say so explicitly. 
The Maoists also said nothing about whether they will insist 
on dealing with an all-party government instead of the 
current interim government appointed by the King, Adhikari 
reported, although such comments have been attributed to them 
in the media. 
 
6.  (C)  In the UML view, the party "cannot rely too much" on 
the Maoists' newly expressed support for multiparty democracy 
since their actions belie those claims.  The party continues 
to be suspicious of the insurgents' true aims in seeking 
dialouge, Adhikari stated, adding that any sincere effort 
toward dialogue must include the parties' participation. 
---------------------------------------- 
INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE KEY TO CEASEFIRE 
---------------------------------------- 
 
7.  (C)  Narayan Singh Pun, Physical Planning Minister and 
GON point man for dealing with the Maoists, confirmed to the 
Ambassador Feb. 20 that he had "flown in" four Maoist leaders 
to Kathmandu on his helicopter.  (Note:  A former Army pilot, 
Pun now owns a private helicopter company.  End note.)  Pun 
cited four factors that he believes motivated the Maoists to 
agree to a ceasefire and consider negotiations.  First, the 
counterinsurgency capability of the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) 
has improved over the past year, resulting in a "balanced 
situation" between the sides.  Second, international support 
for the GON (including USG security assistance and the 
possibility that the USG might place the Maoists on a 
terrorist list) had weakened the Maoists' position.  Third, 
India had stepped up pressure on Maoists crossing its borders 
and residing in its territory.  Fourth, the Maoists are 
experiencing significant difficulty in procuring new 
recruits, supplies, equipment, ammunition and food. 
 
-------- 
COMMENT 
-------- 
 
8.  (C)  The UML is prudent in suspecting the depth of the 
Maoists' near-overnight conversion to the virtues of 
multiparty democracy; we have some of the same reservations. 
That said, the Maoists are meeting with the parties, even if 
only to offer perfunctory lip service to democracy.  Based on 
what we have heard, the meetings seem short on substance, but 
may nonetheless salve the wounded pride of political leaders 
who feel increasingly left out in the cold by the Palace. 
While the political leaders may suspect the Maoists' motives, 
they will certainly welcome their attention and seek to keep 
open channels of communication.  This could serve to muddy 
already murky waters for the Palace, which prides itself on 
maintaining a single line of contact with the Maoist 
leadership.  The Palace, which also has frequently expressed 
its support for multiparty democracy, would be well advised 
to open more active dialogue with the major parties before 
sitting down to talks with the Maoists. 
MALINOWSKI