US embassy cable - 03KATHMANDU886

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000886 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR SA/INS 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USTR, WTO Accessions 
GENEVA PLEASE PASS TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, NP, U.S-Nepali Relations 
SUBJECT: NEPAL:  FOREIGN AND COMMERCE SECRETARIES PLEAD 
FOR US ASSISTANCE ON WTO ACCESSION--ACTION REQUEST 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
1.  (U) Please see paragraph 4 for action request. 
 
GoN Presses Ambassador and DCM for USG Support 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
2.  (SBU) On a number of recent occasions, Nepal's 
Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya, and Secretary 
for Industry, Commerce, and Supply Lava Devkota, on 
instructions, have raised with both the Ambassador and 
DCM the extent to which Nepal depends on U.S. support 
during the upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) 
accession negotiations.  They have assured us that they 
are expressing the views of the Foreign Minister, 
Finance Minister, and Prime Minister.  These separate 
entreaties followed similar talking points: 
-- The Cabinet process on implementing legislation is 
moving forward; 
-- The current, interim government of monarchial 
appointees is especially well suited to taking the 
difficult policy decisions required for accession; 
--Any future government formed after the reconstitution 
of Parliament, of whatever political complexion, would 
honor the WTO commitments made now; 
-- The Nepalese leadership believes that Nepal has no 
chance of accession without U.S. backing; 
-- From the GoN's perspective there are no major issues 
in the bilateral negotiations; and 
-- Nepal is acutely aware that Cambodia (the other 
least developed country candidate up for WTO membership 
by the September Ministerial in Cancun) looks better by 
comparison. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
3.  (SBU) In Post's review of Nepal's recently 
submitted WTO negotiation documents, there appear to be 
some efforts to meet WTO mandates and U.S. bilateral 
requests.  We understand that specific stumbling blocks 
to agreement remain.  The GoN's earnest entreaties 
provide an opportunity to close the gap, using 
representations by the Embassy to prepare the GoN 
better for the May 23 round of U.S.-Nepal bilateral 
negotiations. 
 
Action Request 
-------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) Post requests talking points that respond to 
the GoN's pleas to help clarify the outstanding U.S.- 
Nepal WTO issues.  These talking points could be 
delivered to the Secretaries and Ministers of the 
Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce 
and Supply.  The messages conveyed could serve two 
ends:  to deliver the U.S. Trade Representative's 
points directly to the Ministries responsible for 
writing Nepal's concessions, and to allow the Embassy 
to engage GoN principals on more specific items of 
contention in the negotiations. 
 
 
BOGGS