NEPAL: HM King grants audience to Rocca

US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia meets King, pushes for restoration of democracy and press freedom

Nepal News
Wednesday, May 11, 2005

AsiaMedia Editor's Note: Nepalnews is operating under the directives of King Gyanendra, and thus cannot publish anything "that goes agains the letter and spirit of the Royal Proclamation."

Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Christina Rocca, met His Majesty King Gyanendra at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace Wednesday morning to discuss the current political situation in Nepal.

US ambassador to Nepal, James F Moriarty, was also present at the meeting.

Rocca’s meeting with the King coincides with the end of the 100-day unofficial deadline the King set for the resumption of democratic process in the country. This is the first meeting between the monarch and a senior US official since February 1 when the King took over power.

Rocca who arrived here on Monday on a three-day ‘regular’ visit, has met vice-chairmen of the Council of Ministers, Dr Tulsi Giri and Kirtinidhi Bista, Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey, army chief Pyar Jung Thapa and scores of opposition political leaders.

The US, along with Nepal’s other development partners, has been pressuring the royal administration to resume normal political process, release all the political detainees and restore press freedom.

Rocca urges reconciliation between the king and parties

At the end of her three-day visit to Nepal, US Assistant Secretary for South Asia, Christina Rocca, has urged His Majesty the King and political parties to work together to return to democracy and deal with the Maoist threat.

Addressing a press meet in the Nepali capital on Wednesday, Rocca said it was her government's firm belief that reconciliation between the Nepalese government and the political parties was crucial if Nepal was to move towards functional democracy and to address "the brutal Maoist insurgency." She said she hoped that all legitimate forces in Nepal would unite in pursuit of those twin goals.

Without providing details of her meeting with HM the King Wednesday morning, Rocca said she hoped that there would be a way forward. She did not elaborate.

While saying that lifting of the state of emergency (on April 29) was a good first step, Rocca said there was clearly a lot to do with respect to restoration of civil liberties and release of prisoners.

Responding to a question, Rocca said when she was in Nepal a couple of years ago, the Maoists were active in nearly 30 districts only. Now, they are active in 72 (out of 75) districts in the country. She said Nepal faced an existential threat and that since the threat was large it required the parties and the king to work together.

In response to another question, Rocca reiterated her government's position that there was no military solution to the Maoist insurgency and that it would have to be resolved at the negotiating table.

Rocca did not want to comment on the Indian government's decision to resume military supplies to Nepal but said the US, UK and India were coordinating their response and that they had found a commonality of interest. Every country has its own respective, internal review of arms supply and it remains under review in the US, she said.

She, however, said development assistance to Nepal would continue nabated. She said the US government had earmarked a financial assistance of USD 40 million this year.

Rocca is to leave for a two-day visit to Dhaka later in the day.

Date Posted: 5/11/2005