PACOM CHIEF: RECONCILIATION KEY FOR NEPAL’S SECURITY

Departure Statement
February 2, 2006

Admiral William J. Fallon, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), completed his visit to Nepal on Thursday after gaining a better understanding of the situation in the country.

The Admiral noted serious U.S. concerns about the King’s decision to seize governmental power on February 1, 2005 and the Maoist insurgency threat.  He urged all parties with a common interest in a stable and peaceful Nepal to sit together to discuss and agree on a way forward to establish a truly participatory government. 

The Admiral said reconciliation between the King and the parties is not only indispensable to bring back democracy but also to effectively address the insurgency by the Maoists, which given their continued use of violence, could not be viewed as a legitimate political actor. 

Admiral Fallon met with the King, senior Army officers, political party leaders, and civil society, and also visited RNA troops and facilities in some areas of the country.  The Admiral said that the political division between the King and the political parties has encouraged the Maoist insurgents. 

As PACOM chief, the Admiral commands some 300,000 U.S. military personnel in an area reaching from the west coast of the United States to the east coast of Africa.

Admiral Fallon, who arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday, departed Nepal on Thursday afternoon.  His visit was part of a three-country visit to Nepal, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

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