Christina Rocca came, saw and returned confused

December 24, 2003
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Kathmandu: The US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Christina B. Rocca, has said that this time she could notice among the major political parties a sort of “realization” of the grave threat posed to this country by the Maoist insurgency.

However she declined to comment whether the Royal Palace too had realized the gravity of the situation.

“It is important for the democratic forces to deal with the Maoists threat as it is a common to threat to all”, said Rocca to a select group of Nepali media men at the residence of Constance Colding Jones, the Public Affairs Officer of the US Embassy in Kathmandu last week.

Evaluating the present political scenario, the US dignitary opined that there was the need that constitutional monarchy and the country’s major constitutional political parties reconciled with each other.

Touching upon the raison d etre of her Nepal trip, she said that such timely trips enables Washington to formulate policies that go in favor of the people of Nepal who have been facing immense hardship and struggle.

“Democracy should come to the rails”, said Rocca, however, she remained tight lipped when asked to comment on whether the present set up were a “representative” or an “unrepresentative” one?

Nevertheless, she was optimistic from her talks with the Indian Ambassador. She apparently had met the Indian envoy to get the minds of the Indian establishment vis-à-vis the Maoists alleged to be taking shelter in India.

“I am convinced that India will henceforth will be forthcoming”, said a beaming Rocca who presumably remains confident that unless India mediated the government-Maoist affair, the insurgency will not come to an end.

Surprising though it may appear to Kathmandu’s political watchers, well after Rocca’s famous meet with Ambassador Shyam Saran, the latter has changed his tones on matters relating to the Maoists.

That Shyam Saran is changing his tones becomes clear from his recent hint that should he be provided proper information, he could even nab Baburamji or Prachandaji. All that India needed was exact information of the whereabouts of the Maoists leaders, is what Ambassador assured Nepali media men the other day.

The fact is that the Indian establishment got pretty annoyed and felt embarrassed by Madhav Nepal’s much publicized Lucknow trip which sent different signals to different democratic countries of the globe.

“Rocca could have told the Indian ambassador that India now stands exposed and hence she must have forcefully convinced the Indian envoy that it was time that India exhibited its generosity and magnanimity in sorting out the issue of the insurgency”, political scientists conclude.

Presumably, looking at the ever growing dimension of the Nepali insurgency and the chaos in politics,, said Rocca, Nepal had become a critical country with the potentials to destabilize the already unstable regional stability”.

She nevertheless gave an impression to the Nepali media that the United States were in full support of the constitutional monarchy and that the US support to the Nepali army would continue in the future as well.

“You can’t equate the killings carried out by the Maoists with those of the Nepali army”, explained Rocca. In her opinion, the RNA’s killings were not deliberate ones, however, the killings from the other camp were different. She, however, told that RNA has been told in clear terms that the US would wish to see the RNA men carrying their duties without violating the stipulated and established norms of Human Right situation.

Intervening in the discussion, US Ambassador Malinowski revealed that the US assistance to Nepal now stood to the tune of 40 million dollars from 24 million.

Asked where this money will go, Rocca made it clear that it would be spent on health, anti-corruption activities, conflict resolution, good governance and the likes.

“I hope the money reaches the targeted area”, said Rocca. She hastened to add that the US support were a conditional one.

Now that Rocca has left for her country, nevertheless, what is being speculated here is that the United States and the members of the European Union differ on how to deal with the Maoists insurgency.

One side prefers to go forcefully but yet pleads for the resumption of the stalled peace-talks with the Maoists. The other camp gives an impression that first talks should resume at the earliest and then if the Maoists are convinced then one could demand laying down their arms.

The US and the EU differ visibly, which is confusing the Nepali intelligentsia. That the two differ sharply gets reflected at the sidelines of diplomatic receptions.

But what is more than reassuring is that the US, the UK, India and the entire EU members wish the early resumption of the talks with the Maoists. The diplomats of these countries also hint that it would be an act of wisdom if the government as the guardian invites the other camp for peace-talks.

The media men who were present to listen to Christina Rocca provided the US dignitary their own wholly partisanised views of the Nepal events, which must have confused Christina Rocca. Some praised the King and his moves; some exhibited themselves more democrat than Abraham Lincoln; others felt the need to go in for elections to bring the constitution and derailed system to order and the rest opined that the political parties must reconcile with the King and vice versa if the country were to restore its normalcy. These diametrically opposing views must have come as a bolt from the blue to the American minister. Admittedly, Rocca must have concluded that unlike the political parties, the Nepali media too remained divided for obvious political reasons.