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O 011215Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8424
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000492 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM MARR UN NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: PRIME MINISTER KOIRALA UNSURE OF WAY AHEAD 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 489 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Randy W. Berry.  Reasons 1.4 (b/ 
d) 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) In a meeting on May 1 with Prime Minister G.P. 
Koirala, the Prime Minister said he expected some outcome 
within a few days to the ongoing discussions regarding a new 
coalition government.  The PM was insistent that action 
needed to be taken about People's Liberation Army's weapons 
prior to the formation of a new government, and voiced the 
worry that the Nepal Army not be compromised.  He seemed less 
concerned about other mooted amendments to the Interim 
Constitution.  Koirala expressed regret that abolition of the 
monarchy appeared inevitable, but shared the Ambassador's 
view that an honorable exit for the King would suffice.  The 
PM clearly was not resigned to giving up power. 
 
Outcome of Coalition Talks Possible Soon 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Prime Minister G.P. Koirala told the Ambassador at a 
meeting on May 1 that he was engaged in talks on a future 
government with other key leaders and that he hoped there 
would be a decision in a "couple of days."  He did not 
indicate what that decision would be.  The Ambassador stated 
that the people had clearly voiced their desire for change. 
The PM countered that the people also wanted conditions put 
in place before the current Government of Nepal (GON) was 
replaced.  For example, the abuses by the Maoist Young 
Communist League, had to stop, which the Ambassador seconded. 
 
Maoist Arms Must Be Dealt With, Nepal Army Preserved 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶3. (C) The Prime Minister was insistent as well that the arms 
of the Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA) needed to be 
handed over the GON or destroyed before the other parties 
could agree to a new Maoist-led government.  The Ambassador 
countered that the presence of the United Nations Mission in 
Nepal (UNMIN) might make the need for this action less urgent 
than other pressing issues.  He was also adamant that the 
Nepal Army (NA) should not be politicized.  Any integration 
would have to ensure that the Army's essential character was 
preserved.  Koirala said that he had challenged UNMIN chief 
Ian Martin whether the UN would continue to accept NA troops 
for peacekeeping operations after Maoist combatants were 
integrated.  The PM's Foreign Policy Adviser Aditya Baral 
conceded, however, that the NA would need to be downsized. 
The Ambassador strongly agreed that the NA needed to be 
protected as an institution, but she made the point that 
dealing with the NA and the PLA were long-term issues.  The 
Prime Minister noted that his party and others were generally 
of the view that the provision in the Interim Constitution 
requiring a two-thirds majority to remove the government 
needed to be changed into a requirement for a simple 
majority, but he did not stress this idea. 
 
Regret Over Abolition of Monarchy 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) PM Koirala expressed his regret that he had not been 
able to preserve the monarchy.  He said that he had hoped to 
do so, but that he could not resist the political tide.  His 
daughter, Minister without Portfolio Sujata Koirala, piped up 
several times about the need to preserve "space" for the 
King.  When asked, the PM replied that he had not been in 
touch with the King, but said he had spoken with the King's 
representatives.  Koirala and the Ambassador agreed on the 
need for the King to have an honorable exit.  The PM conceded 
that the Maoists had been accommodating on that score so far 
in public but he wanted to see what they would say and do in 
the Constituent Assembly. 
 
KATHMANDU 00000492  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5. (C) While the Prime Minister talked in the May 1 meeting 
about the need to create a new government, his remarks had a 
strong undercurrent -- and included occasional comments about 
not allowing something to happen -- which indicated that he 
is of two minds about stepping down as PM.  He deflected the 
Ambassador's question about the possibility of a presidency 
being created (in place of the monarchy), but some Embassy 
contacts believe he is interested in the position.  Koirala 
spoke disparagingly about the Maoists as terrorists and 
seemed uncertain about how to deal with them.  His remarks 
were rambling and disjointed, and he added new conspiracy 
theories, including the risk of Nepal becoming another Sikkim 
(as noted reftel), to the old standards.  Three weeks after 
Nepal's Constituent Assembly election, the PM does not appear 
at all sure about the best way forward. 
POWELL