Americans explain theirs boss’s words to Nepal’s king
Update (20:15 NST): “I am hopeful, but not optimistic,” said Donald Camp, visiting U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs in a news conference organized by the American Embassy in the Ambassador’s residence in Kathmandu. Camp was responding a question about how he felt after meeting king Gyanendra in Pokhara yesterday.
“I have brought the President [George W. Bush]’s message to the king. We are hopeful but no assurance were given [to us saying that] there will be a breakthrough. I wish I could say ‘I am optimistic’.”
“I would have liked very much to meet [CPN] UML leader [Madhav Kumar Nepal but the Nepal] government denied our request. We continue to hope that Mr. Nepal and all other political detainees will be released soon.”
Camp also said that the US would label Maoists terrorists as long as they continue doing what they have been doing in the past. We would support anything, he said, that would lower the level of violence.
“We are in no position to impose deadline [to the king on resotring democracy],” Camp said stressing that the American position is that the king should restore democracy.
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Original post:
We’ve all heard what Bush spoke about Nepal (yes, I am talking about those headline-making 25 words from the American President last week] and we’ve all seen how king Gyanendra’s has pretended not hearing those words. But he is king so no television news or blog posts will matter him much. Understanding this situation, it appears, Uncle Sam is sending his messengers to the City of Phewa Lake. Plus, in a video discussion, Elisabeth Millard of NSC explains those 25 words form DC to Nepali scribes.
Donald Camp, U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs, is in Kathmandu today. Camp is in a mission so he was in Pokhara yesterday to deliver the message of his ultimate boss, resident of the White House, to the self-proclaimed boss of Nepal who is currently spending his days in the Ratna Mandir Palace. Camp, we’ve learned, basically explained those 25 words of US President Bush to king Gyanendra. Who will explain more on this? How about Elisabeth Millard, Senior Director for Central and South Asia at the National Security Council? Millar was Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Kathmandu until late January and was addressing a few journalists at the American Center in Kathmandu yesterday from Washington DC via a video link. “Camp’s visit is part of the pressure [that the US is extorting upon the king to reach out political parties],” she said.
Camp will speak to the press this afternoon but before that let’s listen to Millard. “We don’t see Nepal thorough Indian eyes,” she said and explained why and how her country and India agreed, according to Bush, “that the Maoists should abandon violence, and that the King should reach out to the political parties to restore democratic institutions.” Millard said: “In this instance our analysis was similar and conclusion was same.” On Maoists, she repeated what her former boss, James F. Moriarty has been saying: “What is critical is not the word but work. The world is looking at Maoists’ actions but now the words.” On political parties and the king, Millard said: “We are looking for leadership and statesmanship in Nepal.” She said that the king and political parties should talk and constrictively agree upon returning democracy and deal with insurgency.
Millard was talking with journalists on a video link and was willing to discuss more on President Bush’s recent South Asia trip. [The interaction was titled “U.S Engagement with South Asia”]. So I wanted to ask what we weren’t told by the President. He told he agreed with India on Nepal but he didn’t tell us what the US and India disagreed upon Nepal. Ms Millard, will you please tell us about that? Plus, tell us if Bush pressurized Prime Minister Man Monah Singh to curb Nepali Maoists’ activities in India? I though those were simple questions but Millard thought that answering those questions would send her out of job! She said that staffers wouldn’t remain staffers if they discussed about meetings of their bosses. Ah, I definitely didn’t want her to be ousted but wish her a successful career at the NSC. It’s just that journalists like me are always running after what’s NOT been revealed rather than what’s widely been publicized!
America didn’t talk with China this time but Millard thinks that the same will happen soon. “There were no discussion with Beijing [this time] but we have some upcoming engagement with Chinese and I can imagine Nepal will figure there.”
United We Blog 
Comments
20 responses to “Explaining Those 25 Words”
Didn’t KG watch Bush’s visit in TV? Sony TV kinna lai rastiye dhukuti bata kati arba khajana chahiyo?
Its really amazing that right now in such a long history of indian democratic practice the communists had to be in power in the central government and the rightist forces of india BJP had to lose the parliamentary race.Communists,who are in the federal government are harbouring and helping the maoists and on top of that the only King sympathiser in the present UPA govt.of India Kunwar Indrajeet was kicked out( poor foreign minister) so indian eyes are fairly jaundiced towards our king.Same cannot be said for US,its allergic to the word communist and must have asked India to not help maoists.
Its now crystal clear that no 12 or even infinity point agreement with the parties is going to restrain the maoists,seems like the lowest level cadres dont even bother to listen to their leaders otherwise how would they dare to abduct 11 UML cadres.
Since the 7 party aandolan has gone into hibernation , slowly but surely its the guns that will talk now.And thats what the palace and US want,they believe that they can wipe off the maoists from the face of the earth with firepower.And the maoists have no choice they have to fight,once they lay down their arms with out the parties being on their side they will be hounded out from every village and every city because they have commited such henious crimes that no Nepali can ever forget or forgive.Now they are caught in their own ambush……they will fight and fight till death and hundreds of more innocent lives will be lost.
If anyone of us ever had any doubt that US was not helping the King during this one year period then we better keep our records straight.Now once all the biggies have asked the maoists to lay down the arms and its sure that they wont do that,the King might once again call the parties for talks in the manner he did last time and its again for sure that parties wont go for it.So,with that backgroud US will label King as a harbinger of peace and maoists as one of the axes of evil and hence load the king with armoury openly.
As i see it, things are crystal clear now,only hope is if maoists lay down their weapons,side with the parties and then fight the King or else its foregone conclusion,king will get few more rightist forces in the government may be many some congress leaders may join him and crush the maoists.And maoists as always being their own worst enemies will keep on making promises and breaking them as they perish.And the parties with the same old corrupt faces upfront will sing the songs of their glorious past and stare at the empty future that stares at them.
देश बनाउँछु भन्नेहरूलाई खुलापत्र
मलाई धेरै रिस उठिरहेछ । मभन्दा पनि बढी रिस उठ्नेहरू यहाँ लाखौं छन्, जसलाई दुईछाक खान पनि धौधौ छ । जसका लोग्ने मारिएका छन्, कमाउने छोरो मारिएको छ । आश्रय खोसिएको छ, परिश्रम मारिएको छ, खुसी खोसिएको छ । यो खुलापत्र हो, तपाईंहरू सबैलाई जो देश बनाउँछु भनी राजनीति गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ, आलिशान महलमा, सहर, गाउँ अनि कुना-कन्दरा र जङ्गलहरूमा ।
म पढेलेखेको व्यक्ति हुँ । यहाँ पढ्न-लेख्न नपाएका लाखौं छन् । दुवैथरी जनताको नाममा तपाईंहरू राजनीति गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ । हामीलाई पनि देशको उत्तिकै माया छ । कताकता लाग्न थालेको छ, हाम्रो नाउँमा तपाईंहरू आफूलाई बढी माया गर्न थाल्नुभएको छ । नत्र यत्रो खुनखराबी भइसक्यो, अर्थतन्त्र रसातलमा भाँसिसक्यो, मुग्लान पसेका नेपाली श्रमिकको रेमिट्यान्सबाट अर्थतन्त्रको ढुकढुकी कायम छ, छिमेकी भारत र चीन कहाँबाट कहाँ पुगिसके, नेपाल किन जहाँको तहीँमात्र ? होइन झन्-झन् पत्रु बन्दैछ । तपाईंहरूको देशभक्तिप्रति शंका गरिएको नठान्नुहोला । तपाईंहरूलाई लाग्दैन, अब लडाइँ झगडा बन्द गर्नुपर्यो ? बेफ्वाँकको घमण्ड त्याग्नुपर्यो ?
तपाईंहरू एकअर्कालाई नीच देखाउने खेल खेल्दै हुनुहुन्छ । प्रजातन्त्र, लोकतन्त्र, राजतन्त्र, गणतन्त्र आदि तन्त्रको आफूखुसी व्याख्याले नागरिकका कान टट्टाइसके । जनतामाझ खुसी ल्याउने तन्त्र कुन हो- को विवादमा मुलुक ‘परतन्त्र’ तिर लम्कँदैछ । पड्कने बन्दुक पनि बाहिरको, गोली पनि बाहिरकै । अनुगमन गर्नेचाहिँ प्रायः सबै विदेशी पैसाको आडमा अडेका संघ/संस्थाका हाकिम र थरीथरीका राजनीतिसँग आबद्ध अधिकारवादीहरू । जुलुसभन्दा तमाशेहरू बढी ।
तपाईंहरूसँग वाक्क लाग्न थालिसक्यो । मुलुक बचाउन वा उँभो लगाउन बाहिरबाट मान्छे आएर हुँदैन । देश तपाईं-हामीले बनाउने हो । बिगार्ने पनि हामी हौं र सपार्ने जिम्मा पनि हाम्रै हो । विदेशीका नजरमा हामी गिरिसक्यौं । नेपाली पासपोर्टको इज्जत लिलामीमा चढेको छ । नेपाली नारीको अस्मिता विदेशी कोठीमा नाङ्गएिको छ । नेपालीका शरीरमा नेपालमा बनेको एउटै कुरा छैन । हाम्रा घरको चारैतिर विदेशी सामानले हामीलाई गिज्याइरहेछ । काटमार र झगडा, आन्दोलन अखबारका हेडलाइन र सार भएका छन् । जलविद्युत्को धनी मुलुक लोडसेडिङको अन्धकारमा डुबेको छ । अझै झगडा गरिरहने ?
दुःख नमनाउनुहोला, एक प्रश्न राख्दैछु । तपाईंहरू सबैथरी जो झगडाको अग्रपंक्तिमा हुनुहुन्छ, कृपा गरी आफूभन्दा एक पुस्ता मुनिकालाई नेतृत्व सुम्पिनुहोस् । निष्पक्ष जनताका हैसियतले सोची-सम्झी व्यक्त गरिएको सुझाव हो यो । द्वन्द्वसँग सम्बन्धित सबै पक्ष्ालाई यो सुझावप्रति गम्भीर हुन आग्रह छ । नयाँ दक्षता, नयाँ उत्साह, नयाँ सोच, नयाँ कार्ययोजना अनि नयाँ कार्यान्वयन आजको खाँचो हो । बुढो सोचलाई मात्र सल्लाहमा कायम राख्दै जवान सोचलाई अघि बढाऔं । विकासको प्रतिस्पर्धालाई अघि बढाऔं, विनाशको प्रतिस्पर्धा धेरै भइसक्यो ।
आर्थिक विकासको यात्रामा हाम्रा छिमेकी द्रुतगतिले अघि बढिरहेछन् । नेपाली जनता त्यो यात्रामा सम्मिलित हुन आतुर छन् । वैदेशिक रोजगारीको साटो ठूलठूला वैदेशिक एवं स्वदेशी लगानी प्रवाहित गर्नुपरेको छ मुलुकभित्र । विकाससँग सम्बन्धित आधारभूत संरचना निर्माण गर्नुछ । सानोतिनो द्वन्द्व जुनसुकै मुलुकमा हुन्छ । द्वन्द्वको जालो आर्थिक विकासले मात्र पन्छाउन सम्भव हुन्छ, जुन सुशासनमा मात्र सम्भव हुन्छ ।
पहिले आ-आफ्नै घरबाट सुशासनको यात्रा प्रारम्भ गरौं । जनप्रतिनिधित्व गर्न अघि बढ्नेले यो प्रारम्भिक ज्ञानलाई मूर्तरूप दिन सक्नैपर्छ । अन्यथा अर्थको अनर्थ हुन्छ । यो विभिन्न तन्त्रमा अलमलिने युग होइन । एक्काइसौं शताब्दीमा एउटै तन्त्र काम लाग्छ, जुन जनताको, जनताद्वारा, जनताका लागि गरिने सुशासन अर्थात् प्रजातन्त्र हो । सुशासनको अभावमा प्रजातन्त्र बाँदरको हातमा
नरिवलसरह भएको छ हामीकहाँ । मुलुकको शासन र घरको शासनमा प्रायः उही सूत्र लागू हुन्छ । अभिभावक अनुशासित भए घर व्यवस्थित रहन्छ । घरमूली खराब भए सबै उल्टो हुन्छ । खबरदारी गर्ने र सही बाटो देखाउने काम अनुशासित घरमूलीकै हो ।
द्वन्द्व कहाँ हुँदैन ? ठूलठूला झैझमेला पनि सुलह र समझदारीबाटै हल भएका छन् । हामीकहाँ द्वन्द्वरत सबै पक्ष्ाले जनताको दुहाइ दिँदै आएका छन्, समुन्नत नेपालका लागि आफू समर्पित भएको दाबा गर्दैछन् । एउटा तथ्य नकार्न सकिँदैन । यो झगडामा कसैको ‘निश्चित जित’ हुनेवाला छैन । जुन दिन यो तथ्य शिरोपर गरिएला, सायद द्वन्द्वको ‘भूत’ भागिजाला ।
गन्थन जति गरे पनि गाँठी प्रश्न हो, देशले शान्ति र विकासको प्राणायामको थालनी कहिलेदेखि गर्ने ? दोष र खोट अरूको धेरै देखाइयो । अब आफ्नै दोष र खोटको मूल्याङ्कन गरी सच्याउने सतत् प्रयत्न गरौं । यही मेलमिलापको असली मिलनविन्दु हो भन्ने तथ्यलाई समयमै बुझौं । देश बनाउँछु भनी अघि सरेका व्यक्तिले यो लेख पढिराख्नुभएको छ भने यो खुलापत्रको जवाफ हामीजस्ता निष्पक्ष्ा जनतालाई दिने कष्ट गर्नुहोला । जवाफको प्रतीक्ष्ाामा ।
– राजेन्द्रबहादुर श्रेष्ठ
सदस्य सचिव, नेपाल उद्योग वाणिज्य महासंघको ‘थिङ्क ट्याङ्क’
Nepal’s Institute of Development Studies(IDS) reports that the nation of Nepal, may well be bankrupt by June, so I think it is important to ask the follow questions :
1)If the RNA is not able to be paid or fed rice, will they be able to be controlled by the centeral government, or will they break up into armed gangs ?
2) If thr Mabadi, lay down their weapons, and agree to work with the 7-Parties in democratic process, will the US guarantee their safety ?
Your answers are important !
I agree mr. rajendra, u represent tounge of most of nepalese, including me. But u r contradicitng your own ‘think’, a lipper. take this agenda lead nepalese ppl, i will back you i promise conditionally(n i believe that there are a lot nepalese with this feeling). Condition is, give a room to trust that u’ll not leave this stand of philosophy. KG also says the same thing, 7 party, MB too. Let’s try this RS ‘Think Tank’ also, we are liberal whose interests aren’t at stake at the moment.
Reader plz note news in ekanitpur abt the Minister Rop for ‘moobja’ and cartoon by Rajesh K.C. for that news (Rop is in either way from nepal udyog banijya maha sang.)
continue from previous entry……………
In a very simple language, ordinary ppl like me thinks in this way…
‘Aafno Duno Sojaaune’.
human,
you should replace mr. D.
you write good
Its really nonsense that Donald Camp says that the King has to reach out to the parties. He has already done it on his message to the nation on Falgun 7th. Why only the King has to reach out? Why NOt the parties? Who are the party leaders having such an overzised egos? Who are they? They are simply former M.Ps ! But America seems to feel that only the King has to reach out. This is totally wrong.
rameswor ji,
From what the King said it implies that whoever among the parties is interested in working with me,come for a dialogue.That means COME JOIN ME!! It doesnt mean COME TAKE THE POWER OFF ME !!
If the King had said the same paragraph immediately after taking power then may be the parties would have listened to him but now in one year a lot has changed.King has failed to deliver,the parties have trust between eachother, a strategic alliance with the maoists has been struck and there is immense international pressure on the King.Why would anyone surrender to a weak enemy!! Its ofcourse understandble that the parties did not heed to the call.
What the King should have said is I AM READY TO STEP DOWN AND HAND OVER THE POWER TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE, LETS HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TECHNICALITIES.The fact of the matter is everyone knows he has to utter these words someday. But all depends on when he will do it,sooner the better for him and even for the parties and the maoists and above all for the country and its people. You know the worst part of all this quarrel is that there is no involvement of the people in this. People hate the maoists, do not trust the Parties and are increasingly suspicious of the King and as the war prolongs, more and more people will lose interest in all this which is not good for the either party in the conflict.
I am sure Donald Camp did not just come here for a view of the mountains.He must have told the King why are u being stupid,why dont u show the world u are ready to give up the power!! If even after that the parties ignore you and the maoists continue the violence our muscle power is always with you!!
indian coke,
Thanks for the compliment. If D=Dinesh Wagle then i have to say, i am his fan of sorts. He is a Pro, I am a novice. All i can do is complement him on his devotion to the cause of Journalism and his courage in running this site. If D is someone else then i have no comments.
human,
i dont believe that the king will ever do what you think he should have. he is a very stubbern and not very smart person. and he also knows that he is not very popular. nor is he confident. he wouldnt be visiting all those temples around the country otherwise. and infortunately, there is no convinicing alternative to the king since the people are not with any of the three sides (king, political parties or maoists) because they are more worried about simply getting to live their life and do their own thing, which is not a (human) right but a priviledge in nepal.
i think with time, king and his regime will just collapse by itself. because of not having enough money to pay its employees off let alone for funding the development projects. eventually, people will start dying of not having enough to eat and start revolting against the regime. not because they will grow some love for the political parties or maoists.
Yodam is right. Mr. Shah’s regime will collapse by itself. The parties have to do not a thing.
We must know that as I post this the 7-Parties and the Mabadi are meeting to foem a 8-PARTY ALLIANCE, even if the US & the King do not approve… May the 8-PARTIES BRING PEACE TO NEPAL… LONG LIVE THE NEW REPUBLIC OF NEPAL !
long live vandeveer and manan,
long live Wagle and Acharya,
long live the Republic of Nepal
say yes to india…say yes to america
they are always together..stay close to them
say no to G and his CHAMCHAZ
say yes to democracy, say yes to republic of nepal
Indian coke is fickle minded. Earlier he was saying down with G and the MB’s,now it is say no to G, but no mention of the MB’s. So they are OK just by signing a piece of paper, but their action on the ground remains the same.
Jai Nepal – Sri Panch ko jai jai jai!
Long live Indepndent Nepal! Down with the Communists! Down with Prachanda and Baburam!Down with Madhav Nepal! Long live the Independent kingdom of Nepal! Nepalis unite and shun foreign interference! Unite for independence!Jai Nepal!
Someone just made fun of the Bush statement, American crusading for democracy, and “transition.” The article is here.
I feel that Mrs (she is married) Millard is a wonderfully intelligent woman and that the embassy in Nepal will miss her good leadership qualities.
You have a great site. All in your web is very useful. Please keep on working.