AFTERMATH OF THE US VISIT: GON EXPECTATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01370R000801030049-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 19, 2010
• Sequence Number: 49
• Publication Date: January 25, 1984
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/26: CIA-RDP90BO137OR000801030049-7
L~.)A I
PAGE 001
TOR: 252324Z JAN 84
RR RUEAIIB
ZNY CCCCC ZOC STATE ZZH
STU5453
RR RUEHC
DE RUMJHT #0524 0250915
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 250824Z JAN 84
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5639
INFO RUMJDK/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 3737
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 7464
BT
KATHMANDU 0524
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PEPR, MASS, EAID, NP
SUBJECT: AFTERMATH OF THE US VISIT: GON EXPECTATIONS
2. WITHOUT TOO MUCH ELSE TO CCUPY THEM DURING THIS POLTICALLY
SLOW WINTER PERIOD IN KATHMANDU, OUR FRIENDS IN THE GON ARE
SPENDING TIME REFLECTING ON THE VISIT AND WHAT IT CAN MEAN IN
TERMS OF INCREASED US HELP FOR NEPAL. IN THE WARM GLOW THAT
CONTINUES TO SURROUND US-GON RELATIONS FOLLOWING KING BIRENDRA'S
US VISIT, WE ARE, NOT SURPRISINGLY, ENCOUNTERING SOME EXCESSIVE
AND UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS THAT THE VISIT HAS AROUSED WITHIN
THE PALACE AND THE GON.
3. THE KING'S STATE VISIT TO THE US IS SEEN HERE AS A GREAT
SUCCESS. THE WARM RECEPTION HE RECEIVED AND THE ATTENTION GIVEN
NEPAL HAS PROVIDED A TREMENDOUS BOOST TO THE NEPALESE PEOPLE.
THE HIGHLY-PUBLICIZED FOLLOW-ON VISIT OF CODEL MCHUGH HAS FED
THIS EUPHORIA. THIS EUPHORIC MOOD HAS RAISED EXPECTATIONS,
PARTICULARLY IN THE GOVERNMENT, THAT AMERICA'S ATTENTION WILL BE
TRANSLATED INTO TANGIBLE RESULTS, WHICH HERE MEANS INCREASED
FUNDS FLOWING TO NEPAL. WE ARE ALREADY HEARING ABOUT THIS, AND
EXPECT TO HEAR A GOOD DEAL MORE.
4. THE FIRST HARD PUSH AFTER THE KING'S RETURN DECEMBER 31 CAME
DURING CONGRESSMAN MCHUGH'S CALL ON WATER RESOURCES MINISTER
PASHUPATI RANA. RANA, APPARENTLY CHOSEN BY THE GON TO MAKE A MONEY
PITCH TO MCHUGH, WAS DIRECT. THE GON WANTS THE US TO FINANCE AN
EIGHT MILLION DOLLAR ENGINEERING STUDY FOR THE KANKAI IRRIGATION/
POWER PROJECT, PLUS HELP WITH THE SIKTA IRRIGATION PROJECT
ADJOINING AID'S RAPTI ZONE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. (MCHUGH DEMURRED,
NOTING OUR POLICY TO KEEP SUCH PROJECTS OUT OF US BILATERAL AID
PROGRAMS.)
5. A WEEK LATER, ON JANUARY 23, NARAYAN PRASAD SHRESTHA, PRINCIPAL
PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE KING, SPEAKING WITH THE AMBASSADOR ALSO
PUSHED FOR US ATTENTION TO NEPAL'S WATER DEVELOPMENT. WHILE
ACCEPTING THAT THE US WOULD NOT GET INVOLVED BILATERALLY,
SHRESTHA SAID HE DOES EXPECT MORE US SUPPORT FOR NEPAL'S INTERESTS
WITHIN THE IBRD AND ADB AND WITH OTHER POTENTIAL DONORS, AS A
RESULT OF THE KING'S VISIT.
6. MOVING TO OTHER TOPICS, SHRESTHA MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE--
PRESUMABLY SPEAKING FOR HIS SUPERIORS--FORESAW A NEW RELATIONSHIP
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/26: CIA-RDP90BO137OR000801030049-7
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/26: CIA-RDP90BO137OR000801030049-7
CONFIDENTIAL
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IN WHICH THE US WOULD BE MORE FORTHCOMING IN THE VARIOUS KINDS OF
HELP WE WOULD BE WILLING TO PROVIDE NEPAL. FROM THIS POSITION,
SHRESTHA RAISED SECURITY ASSISTANCE. HE EXPRESSED DISAPPOINT-
MENT THAT WE WEREN'T PREPARED TO OFFER MORE THAN CONTINUED IMET
IN THIS AREA, DESPITE REPEATED GON APPROACHES FOR EXPANSION OF
OUR PROGRAM TO INCLUDE SOME MILITARY MATERIAL AID. (THE AMBASSADOR
CONFIRMED THE FIRMNESS OF OUR POLICY IN THIS FIELD.)
7. FINALLY, IN A WRAP-UP CONVERSATION WITH AMBASSADOR BHEKH
THAPA JANUARY 23, THAPA INFORMED US THAT, AS A RESULT OF THE
VISIT, HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH PURSUING ACTIVELY GON OBJECTIVES
IN THESE AREAS IN WASHINGTON. THAPA SAID HE APPRECIATES THAT HIS
GOVERNMENT'S EXPECTATIONS WON'T BE MET BY THE US, AT LEAST IN THE
NEAR TERM, AND HE IS CAUTIOUSLY TRYING TO EDUCATE OTHERS TO THIS
REALITY. EVEN THAPA, HOWEVER, HOPES FOR A MORE FAVORABLE US
ATTITUDE OVER THE LONGER TERM. WHILE THAPA WILL BE WORKING TO
MANAGE GON EXPECTATIONS FROM THE WASHINGTON END, WE EXPECT TO FACE
THEIR CONTINUED APPROACHES IN THE COMING WEEKS. THE CONSISTENT
REITERATION OF OUR POSITIONS FROM BOTH ENDS--WASHINGTON AND HERE--
SHOULD, IN THE LONG RUN, TAKE HOLD. IN THE MEANTIME, WE ARE ALL
ENJOYING THE GOLDEN GLOW.
CHEEK
END OF MESSAGE CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/26: CIA-RDP90BO137OR000801030049-7