US is far away, India is next door: US official (Nepal Maoists)

Nepal News ^ | March 4, 2005

[sagar]

A senior US official has reiterated his government’s views that India has a major role to play in resolving the present stalemate in the Himalayan Kingdom.

"India, in our view, plays an absolutely critical role. As far as Nepal is concerned India is a major power. The United States is far away. India is right next door," said Donald Camp, principal deputy assistant secretary for South Asian affairs of the US government. “New Delhi has the "most to lose if things go bad".

The US has consulted the Government of India and we have tried to work with them as much as possible to coordinate our approach. We have a common goal, which is to make sure the Maoists don't succeed and democracy is restored, Camp told a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific in Washington D. C. on Wednesday, according to news agencies.

Asked whether there is any possibility down the road, of the King requesting the Indian government to send troops to Nepal to provide stability and order in his country, Camp said "India does have a major role to play. I wouldn't want to speculate in this case. Our own view is this is an issue the Nepalese have ultimately to resolve themselves."

About the role of China and its position on the recent developments, he said the US has discussed the current situation with them and their official position is that it is an internal matter for Nepal, "but I think it is very clear, in their private conversations, they are concerned."

He said the Maoist rebels had no connection with the Chinese government despite their taking ideological inspiration from the supreme Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung.

"I think I can safely say there is no connection whatsoever" between the Chinese and the Maoists in Nepal.

The insurgents have taken the name "Maoists" but there is no connection between the Maoist leaders in Nepal and with China in any way," he said.

There may have been calls for help by the Nepalese Maoists from "their brothers," as one member put it, but "I am pretty confident there was no response from China."

nepalnews.com by Mar 04 05

[sagar]

India denies its involvement in military action

India has denied that its security forces were involved in the recent military action by Nepal in mid-western district of Bardiya early this week.

Dismissing as "baseless" a statement of the CPN (Maoist) alleging such involvement, spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry of India Navtej Sarna said the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) deployed on the Indian side of the Indo-Nepal border "is under strict instructions not to cross the border under any circumstances.”

“The question of any joint action inside Nepal, therefore, does not arise,” official PTI news agency quoted Sarna as saying.

On the reference in the statement to the arrest of some of the CPN (Maoist) cadres by authorities, he made it clear that "any individual crossing the border carrying weapons in violation of our laws will be dealt with accordingly".

He said those arrested by the security forces were on the Indian side of the border. "They have been charged under our laws," he said.

Nepali authorities have made it clear that the massive action against the insurgents were carried out by themselves. The bodies of 46 insurgents had been recovered from the site of clashes at Ganeshpur in Bardiya. Security officials said the casualty on the part of the rebels could be much higher.

Four security personnel were killed and a dozen others were injured when the insurgents attacked a team of security personnel that had been to the area to clear the obstructions set up by them. Security enforcement were sent to the site of clashes immediately after the incident thereby causing heavy loss on the part of the insurgents, according to reports.