Embassy of the United States Kathmandu, Nepal

Assistant Secretary Boucher:  I think it's an opportune moment to talk to you guys because we have important developments in Nepal and Sri Lanka as well as important meetings coming up with Pakistan.  Then a lot of continuing issues with working with Central Asia and India.  So this South and Central Asia is a happening place these days.
 
In Nepal we've had good news, that the political parties have stepped up to leadership, stepped up to organizing the government.  The King has stepped back and let them do that.  People on the streets are justifiably celebrating for all that they've achieved.  They've long-sought the restoration of democracy and they're glad to see it's happened.
 
We're in touch with other governments, particularly with India, coordinating closely to make sure that we all step up as well to support democracy, to support the political process, the political aspects as well as whatever economic needs there may be.  So I think we've made a great step forward for all in Nepal.
 
It's important that the Maoists stop the violence in their blockades, end their violence and accept a political role.  I think that's something the parties, outsiders like us and others will continue to press for.
 
Press:  Are you guys --
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  Let me say something about Sri Lanka.
 
Sri Lanka, we've had a terrible terrorist attack today on the Chief of Army Staff.  Five of his people were killed, he was injured.  We express our condolences for the people that were killed and our sympathies for their families and we wish the Chief of the Army Staff a speedy recovery.
 
This is an act of violence to the political process as well.  It's a provocation.  It's regrettable that the Tamil Tigers decided to restart the war instead of restart the peace talks.  We are in touch with other governments, both here and in capitals around the world to bring to bear whatever pressure we can for the Tamil Tigers to abandon this course of action and to look for ways that we can support the government in coping with the threat.
 
We're going to have a meeting with the Co-Chairs soon and we'll look at how we can carry that out.
 
Finally just to mention on Pakistan, the Pakistani Foreign Secretary, Riaz Khan, is coming tomorrow for some meetings that will extend into really a day-long discussion Thursday -- strategic dialogue.  This was announced during the President's trip to Pakistan.  It's important that as strategic partners we get together periodically and go through the whole breadth of U.S.-Pakistan activities together.  To some extent what we'll do is we'll just review a note that there's a lot of other activity going on in different, more expert circles.  So we'll look obviously at the strategic cooperation, cooperation against terrorism, cooperation against proliferation, cooperation for stability in the region.  We'll look at the education cooperation, the education dialogue that we expect to come up in the next couple of months.  Economic cooperation, where we'll help in Pakistan with its energy needs or with diversifying its exports.  And just try to look at the whole breadth of U.S.-Pakistan relations and what we can do to continue this very important strategic relationship over this long term.
 
[Latecomers arriving].
 
Welcome to my humble abode.  I just said a few words about Nepal, about Sri Lanka and about upcoming meetings with Pakistan and I was just about to take the questions of the assembled masses.
 
Press:  I have a question which is kind of a two-parter.  On Nepal, are you guys talking to the Maoists?  Are you leaving the Indians to do that?  I guess the same would be for Sri Lanka.  I mean have you --
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  We're not talking to the Maoists, and we certainly don't talk to the Tamil Tigers.  We work with a lot of parties who have a lot of contacts, so we do I think know in Nepal that there are certainly groups in other countries, political parties, that have been talking to the Maoists, and they have signed onto this 12 point program, this party program, that includes taking a role in the political process which is obviously something we would welcome if they truly ended the violence and things they're doing in the villages and adopted a purely political role.
 
Press:  But they, I'm not quite sure how long the violence goes back but it pre-dates the King kind of assuming power, doesn't it?
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  They have been on and off.  As I began, and you've watched this longer than I have probably, but they have been on and off in politics or in the business of violence.  It's time for them once again to get out of the business of violence and adopt a political role.
 
Press:  What's happened in Nepal so far, is that sufficient for the United States to think -- I know we did sever non-lethal military aid to them last year.  Is there consideration of --
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  I think we'll look at all those things, and we'll' look at all those things based on what a democratic, what a civilian government, what a new Prime Minister is looking for from the United States.  We would like to have a normal relationship with Nepal across the board, including a normal relationship with the army.  That will depend on support from the political process and will come to us through the political process in terms of the kinds of things they want to do with us.
 
Press:  The King has said he's going to bring the parliament back.  We say he should return power to the political parties.  Is there any disconnect there?
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  No.  He's I think basically agreed to what the political parties were asking for which was a restoration of parliament, leaving it to them to decide a Prime Minister, leaving it to them to decide how to handle the future and the next steps for the government, leaving it to them to decide on how to proceed on a ceasefire and things like that.  So that's essentially what we were asking for.  If we didn't use the exact same words it was just to paraphrase.
 
Press:  It originally caught my eye that the statement yesterday said he should assume a ceremonial role.
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  Yeah.
 
Press:  I know he can keep the title of King, he doesn't have to abdicate, but he basically has to give up all his powers.  Isn't there a concern that he may have moved but he can always move back?  He can once again dissolve the parliament.
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  I think that was the concern of the political parties last Friday when he made a statement that they felt didn't go far enough and that's why there was continued pressure from people on the streets and from the political parties for him to do more and make very clear that he was turning the running of the country over to the political parties and that they were going to decide the future.  I think that's now in their hands.  What they decide to do about constitutional roles and things like that we'll leave to them as they proceed, but I think it's clearly now in their hands to decide how a government will be structured and how the nation will proceed.
 
Press:  So that isn't a U.S. concern, that he could, he still has the constitutional power to reverse --
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  Well I think we share the concern of the political parties in that regard.  They were concerned last Friday, even with a significant concession from the King, they were still concerned that he was reserving that right and we think it's probably appropriate that they kept pushing and got satisfaction, at least to their satisfaction, that they would really be able to make decisions for the country.
 
Press:  I'm sorry to continue on the same thing, but what I'm hearing is --
 
Assistant Secretary Boucher:  What you're hearing is I'm not writing the Nepalese constitution but they are.  They now have it in their hands to decide how these things get settled.