Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 6757 / 251,287

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 88 89 90 96 97 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1996/11
1997/12
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10 2001/11
2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/07 2002/11 2002/12
2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AFIN AMGT ASEC AF AU AE ABLD AG ASIG AORC AEMR APER AR AMBASSADOR ASEAN AM AJ AA AL ASUP AS ABUD AMED AX APECO AID ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG ADANA AFFAIRS AO ADCO ACOA ATFN AROC AFGHANISTAN AFU AER ALOW AODE ATRN AC AZ AVERY APCS AGMT
BR BL BA BM BEXP BH BTIO BIDEN BO BRUSSELS BT BC BU BY BX BG BK BF BBSR BMGT BTIU BE BB BILAT
CR CO CH CU CVIS CPAS CMGT CS CI CJUS CASC CA CY CDG CE CG CBW COUNTER CN CKGR COUNTERTERRORISM CODEL CWC CJAN CONDOLEEZZA CIA CD CLINTON CT CARSON CONS CB CM CW CACM CDB CAN COE COUNTRY CLEARANCE CACS CF CL CIS CTM COM CV
DR DA DOMESTIC DHS DAO DCM DEPT DTRA DPRK DISENGAGEMENT DOD DJ DEAX DOE DK DEA DS
ECON EPET ES ETRD EFIN EUN ENRG ETTC EINV EAGR ECPS ELAB EWWT EG ELTN EC EAID ER EI EU EZ EN ET EAIR EK EIND ECIN EINVECONSENVCSJA ECONOMICS EXTERNAL ELN ELECTIONS EMIN EINN EFINECONCS ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ENIV ECUN EFIS EINT ENGR ENNP EUR EAP EEPET ETRDEINVTINTCS ENVI EFTA ETRO ESENV ECINECONCS EINVEFIN ECIP EINDETRD EUC EREL ENVR ECA ENERG ENGY ECONCS EINVETC ECONEFIN ESA ETC ETRDECONWTOCS EUNCH
FR FREEDOM FTAA FARC FI FAO FJ FMLN FBI FOR FOREIGN FINR
GT GM GG GV GH GOI GA GTIP GR GZ GE GCC GY GANGS GOV GAZA GTMO
HO HA HUMAN HU HR HILLARY HSTC HK HURI HYMPSK
IR IZ IC IS IT IZPREL IRAQI IO IN IAEA ID ITPHUM ITPGOV ITALIAN IPR INRB IMO ITALY ICRC ICAO INTERPOL IQ IWC IV ICTY INTELSAT IEFIN IA INR IRC IACI ITRA IL ICJ INTERNAL ISRAELI IIP ILC INRA INRO IRAJ IF ILO IBRD IMF
JO JOSEPH JA JP JOHNNIE JM JUS JAMES
KZ KNNP KJUS KDEM KICC KSCA KTIA KISL KPAO KMDR KHLS KU KTFN KIRF KIPR KCRM KOLY KFRD KCOR KE KWMN KV KSUM KPAL KSEP KTIP KSTC KGIC KPKO KOMC KFLO KAWC KUNR KS KNPP KIDE KNEI KVPR KBIO KPRP KN KWBG KR KMCA KMPI KCIP KTEX KGIT KNSD KCFE KLIG KFLU KBCT KOMS KGHG KG KBTS KACT KCRS KGCC KDRG KWMM KAWK KHIV KSPR KRVC KRAD KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KOCI KSTH KTDB KPAI KHSA KTLA KO KFSC KVIR KX KFTFN KPWR KWAC KMIG KSEC KIFR KDEMAF KFIN KNUC KPIN KPLS KIRC KPRV KBTR KERG KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNUP KTER KDDG KMRS KHDP KPAK KNAR KREL KCOM KNNPMNUC KPOA KRFD KHUM KDEV KCFC KREC KWWMN KTBT KWMNCS KSAF
LE LY LU LTTE LI LO LH LG LAB LOG LT
MARR MASS MCAP MIL MOPS MU MX MEPI MO MR MNUC MDC MPOS MEETINGS MD MTCRE MK MUCN MY MASC MRCRE ML MA MEPP MAR MAPP MP MT MAS MTS MLS MI MERCOSUR MC MV MEDIA MZ MOPPS MAPS MCC MASSMNUC MQADHAFI MTCR MTRE MG
NL NATO NIPP NP NS NPT NU NO NZ NI NATIONAL NPG NGO NG NK NA NSSP NRR NSG NAR NE NASA NT NSF
OAS OREP OTRA OSCE OPRC OIIP OVIP OSAC ODIP OFDP OEXC OPDC OIE OECD OPCW OVP OPIC OPAD OFDA OIC OSCI OTR OFFICIALS
PGOV PINR PREL PREF PTER POL PHUM PINS PK PARM PSOE PAK PHSA PAO PM PBTS PF PNAT PE POLITICS PARMS PBIO PSI POLINT POLITICAL PARTIES PL PA PROP PO PGOVLO PORG PGOVE PLN PINF PRELP PAS PPA PRGOV PUNE PG PALESTINIAN POLICY PEPR PINT PU PECON POGOV PINL PKFK PMIL PY PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PRAM PMAR PHUMPREL PHUS PRL PGOC PNR PGGV PROV PTERE PGOF PHUMBA PEL POV
QA
RS RU RIGHTS RO RW RICE RSP RP REACTION RF ROBERT RFE REGION
SNAR SOCI SENV SCUL SA SP SY SMIG SU SF SAN SZ SW SR SO SHUM SYR SAARC SL SI SNARCS STEINBERG SN SG SIPRS SH SOFA SANC SK ST SC SEVN
TX TU TS TRGY TO TH TBIO TIP TP TW TC TPHY TSPL TERRORISM TI TURKEY TSPA TD TZ TFIN TNGD TINT TK TR TT TRSY
US UN UNSC UP UNHCR UK UNGA UNMIK USUN UZ UNESCO USEU USTR UNHRC UY UNO UG UNDC UAE UNAUS UNDESCO UNEP UNCHC UV UNDP UNCHS UNVIE UE USAID
VT VE VTPREL VZ VN VM
WTRO WITH WHO WTRQ WBG WI WTO WB WWARD WHA WA WMO WEU WZ
XM XF XR XA XK XH XL XS XG XW XY XE XT XD XZ XV XC
YI YM YMCS YE
ZI ZANU ZU ZO ZP ZR ZB ZF ZA ZOELLICK ZK ZJ

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 03KATHMANDU280, US-INDIAN COOPERATION AND MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #03KATHMANDU280.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
03KATHMANDU280 | 2003-02-14 05:05 | 2011-03-15 00:12 | SECRET//NOFORN | Embassy Kathmandu
Appears in these articles: http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/article1538395.ece

`

    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

` `

    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 KATHMANDU 000280

    SIPDIS

    NOFORN

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2013
    TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER IN NP
    SUBJECT: US-INDIAN COOPERATION AND MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO
    NEPAL

    REF: A. A. 02 NEW DELHI 6938      B. B. NEW DELHI 267      C. C. NEW DELHI 641

    Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION ROBERT K. BOGGS. REASONS: 1.5 (B  AND D)

    ¶1. (C) Summary:  US security assistance to Nepal has brought the ancillary advantage to the US of providing a new arena for fruitful US-Indian dialogue and collaboration.  Top Indian diplomats in Kathmandu clearly appreciate not only US support for common US-Indian security objectives in Nepal, but also the unprecedented frequency and candor of our bilateral discussions of Nepal-related issues.  Indian military intelligence officers in Kathmandu, however, are openly and persistently uncomfortable with US sales of lethal equipment -- and M16s in particular -- to the Royal Nepal Army.  The following describes a recent discussion with Indian civilian and military officers that provides some insights into varied Indian attitudes toward US security policy here.  Embassy Kathmandu remains convinced that US and UK arms sales to Nepal -- although modest in quantity and basic in technology -- have played a disproportionately influential role in persuading Maoist leaders to agree to a cease-fire and negotiations with the Government of Nepal (GON).  We believe our security assistance policy remains valid, and that it offers a continuing opportunity to reinforce growing US-Indian mil-mil cooperation and engender greater bilateral confidence.  Positive Indian involvement clearly is key to any longer-term resolution of Nepal's political and security problems, so it is important that US diplomacy with India accelerate along with our security assistance to this beleaguered kingdom.  End summary.

    ¶2. (C) DCM and DATT met on February 4 with their Indian counterparts to discuss issues raised by the Indian Ambassador concerning US sales of M16 rifles to Nepal. Indian Ambassador Shyam Saran had asked Ambassador Malinowski several days earlier what plans the US had for providing assault rifles to the Royal Nepal Army (RNA).  He needed to know how many rifles the US plans eventually to provide, he explained, because he could not justify India's continuing to supply INSAS rifles if the US were planning to meet Nepal's needs in this regard.  Although Ambassador Malinowski, the DCM and our DATT meet frequently with their Indian counterparts, and have developed unprecedented transparency in their discussions of such formerly sensitive issues as security assistance, this was the first time the DCM and DATT had participated in a joint meeting at the Indian Embassy.

    ¶3. (C) DCM and DATT began the discussion by explaining the complexity of the US security assistance process, emphasizing that none of the money appropriated in FY 02 for security assistance for Nepal has yet been spent on any military hardware or training.  So far, they explained, the USG has committed only to selling the RNA -- using GON funds -- two orders each of 5000 M16s.  The remaining 2000 rifles of the first order (which was submitted by the RNA in May 2002) should be delivered in the next month or two, but the delivery date of the second 5000 is still uncertain. Although the Nepali press persists in reporting that the US eventually with provide 55,000 rifles, this has not been agreed.  The DCM pointed out that the US has committed also to providing night vision devices, pilot protective gear, and communication equipment, but these non-lethal items have not been manufactured yet and might take a year or two to deliver.  In contrast, the DATT and DCM pointed out, the Government of India (GOI) has been providing Nepal with an accelerating stream of rifles and other military equipment. In our view, India's leading role in providing military assistance to Nepal is consistent with its proximity, long history of assistance, and strong strategic interest in the security of the Himalayan region.   The DCM underscored that the US appreciates India's leading role, encourages it, and has no competing long-term military objectives here.

    ¶4. (C) The Indian DCM, Ashok Kumar, agreed readily with the DCM's characterization of the speed and volume of Indian security assistance to Nepal.  He asserted proudly that the more encouraging military situation on the ground in the RNA's fight with the Maoists was due completely to Indian assistance.  Kumar took pointed exception to the DATT's reference to GOI ""objections"" to US sales of M16s to Nepal. The GOI, he stressed, has no ""objections;"" it has only ""concerns.""  The GOI, he explained, is meeting the RNA's every request for lethal equipment.  It would thus make more sense, he argued, for the US to let India provide arms and concentrate instead on such equipment as night vision devices and helicopters where the US has the comparative advantage. If, however, the US intends to provide rifles, the GOI could not ask Indian taxpayers to subsidize the continuing supply to Nepal of more arms than it could effectively utilize.  The DCM explained (again) that the sale of M16s was based on a PACOM assessment in April 2002 of Nepal's most urgent military needs.  If India is planning to fill those needs in the near term, the USG is prepared to revise the profile of its out-year assistance to take account of changing requirements after we meet our current obligations.  The Indians refused firmly to provide specific numbers on how many INSAS rifles the GOI planned to provide.  Kumar asserted that ""numbers are not important,"" and that he had no interest in getting into ""a numbers game"".

    ¶5. (C) The DCM and DATT countered by explaining that the USG is not pushing M16s on the Nepali Government.  After our current FMF appropriation was approved in mid-2002, we asked the RNA leadership how it wanted to prioritize the use of that money -- within the parameters set by the PACOM assessment.  The RNA was emphatic in reiterating its request that the lion's share of the appropriation be spent on M16s, along with some non-lethal equipment and training.  The RNA was familiar with the M16 from international peacekeeping operations, knew it to be a reliable weapon, and felt that its induction into RNA ranks would be a major morale-booster.  The ammunition for the M16A2, moreover, is not available in the region and is difficult to obtain on the South Asian black market, so M16s would be less problematic than Indian-manufactured weapons if they were to fall into the hands of the Maoists or Indian extremists.  The DCM and DATT reiterated that the US has made no commitment to supplying all the RNA's needs for a modern combat rifle or any other arms.  We see our modest M16 sales only as a supplement to the rifles being supplied by India.  With the RNA expanding rapidly toward 70,000 soldiers, its need for rifles is greater than either of our governments is likely to meet in the short term.  The RNA's decision to standardize on a few weapons from different sources was not unusual or unreasonable; in fact, this is something India itself is doing (with its purchases of specialized rifles from the US and Israel.)

    ¶6. (C) The DATT asked how the GOI proposed that the USG should approach the M16 issue with Nepal. After a pause with no answer from the Indians, the DATT asked whether they would want us to inform the RNA that after the current order for M16s is filled, Nepal should turn all its arms to India? Kumar again avoided giving a recommendation.  He was, however, quick and categorical in rejecting the DATT's proposal, stating that the Indian supply relationship should not become a subject for US-Nepal dialogue.  Clearly, he said, the issue of arms purchases was one the Nepal Government would have to decide for itself.  India would have to resolve its own assistance issues by talking directly to the Nepalis.

    ¶7. (C) In conclusion the DCM pointed out that the US values its strengthening military-to-military relationship with India and has no desire to complicate it with our security assistance to Nepal.  On the contrary, our two governments recognize our common interests in helping Nepal to defeat its Maoist threat.  The growing frequency and candor of our discussions of Nepal-related security issues are an important benefit of our improved cooperation.  Nepal thus is becoming a theater for bilateral strategic cooperation rather than of competition.  The Indian DCM had no final comment to offer on M16 sales and made no explicit recommendation.  He concluded on a positive note by saying that we should continue our dialogue.

    ¶8. (S/NF) Comment: Our frequent discussions with our Indian diplomatic colleagues here in Kathmandu are inconsistent in tone.  Ambassador Shyam Saran is an unusually able professional who is comfortable sharing his well-informed political and security analyses of Nepal with our Ambassador and official visitors.  We find that we agree in large measure with his views, including his profound skepticism about the motives of the Maoists and his emphasis on the importance of the legal political parties supporting the government.  Saran has raised questions about US arms supplies to Nepal, but without complaints or threats.  DCM Kumar, an often abrasive diplomat whose pursuit of Indian interests borders on chauvinism, has become more collegial and less plaintive as we have engaged him more frequently in discussions of US security policy in Nepal.  Only Defense Attache George Mathai, a long-time Gurkha officer, continues to press our DATT to minimize lethal sales to Nepal, obviously delivering prepared talking points without the benefit of supporting information.

    ¶9. (C) On February 11 our DATT was told that the Indian Embassy had placed a hold on the delivery of additional INSAS rifles, although the Embassy had not informed the GON yet of that.  According to the DATT's source, the GON planned eventually to transfer the Indian-made rifles to the Nepalese Armed Police, and the Embassy did not want them to recommend that more rifles be diverted from Indian forces for the subsidiary purpose. AMB Saran has confirmed this freeze on further INSAS sales, assuring us that this step was taken not in response to US arms sales, but because he believed the GON was not being candid with the GOI regarding its need for and intended use of Indian-made rifles.

    ¶10. Conclusions we tentatively have drawn from the discussion summarized above and numerous others like it are the following:
    -- (C) The GOI, like the USG, is attempting to be responsive to Nepali requests for modern combat rifles as an urgent priority.  What is frustrating to the Indians is that the Nepalis have never requested India to meet their complete needs for rifles, and have indicated a preference for the M16 as their front-line weapon.  For many reasons -- diplomatic, economic, military and psychological -- the GOI would like the RNA to be totally dependent on it for arms, although the GOI is itself moving toward some foreign military sourcing for small arms.
    -- (C) Indian analysts are increasingly persuaded that the Maoist movement in Nepal poses a security threat to India. Their dilemma is that they have wider and deeper interests in a secure Nepal than any other nation, but their influence in the Kingdom is constrained by a long history of bilateral tension and suspicion.  Objective observers increasingly acknowledge that US security assistance and diplomatic support in Nepal are helpful for the realization of Indian objectives here during this time of turmoil.
    -- (C) Indian attitudes toward US security assistance to Nepal are complex.  On the one hand, they are pleased by the growing transparency and collegiality of our bilateral dialogue on Nepal.  On the other hand, some GOI elements here apparently are having difficulty coming to terms with growing US and UK military activism in Nepal as a conspicuous dilution of the dominance in  military assistance that India has long enjoyed and defended. -- (C) Given the tensions already present in Indo-Nepal relations, Indian diplomats here want assiduously to avoid complicating those relations by allowing them to become tripartite -- with the US openly becoming an interlocutor in the shaping of the Indo-Nepal security relationship.  We suspect that the reported decision of the GOI to hold up INSAS deliveries is another attempt by India to remind Nepal of the extent to which it is beholden to India without explicitly mentioning US arms sales.
    -- (S/NF) At least in Kathmandu, Indian concern about US arms sales to Nepal appears to vary significantly between its civilian and military representatives.  Indian diplomats understand the importance to India of enhanced US-Indian defense collaboration, and do not want to jeopardize that, and their own dialogue with us, over so small an issue. Indian military intelligence officers, on the other hand, appear to be more focused on traditional relations and local military equations, and have been more willing to signal their discomfort about our potential competition.

    ¶11. (C) Comment.  The best information we have seen on Maoist thinking indicates that the US and UK's announced policy of military assistance to the GON, coupled with the first deliveries of our M16 and British-purchased helicopters, has been a major consideration in persuading the Maoist leadership to opt for a cease-fire and political negotiations.  The GON has made it clear that, despite eventual peace talks, US steadfastness in providing military support -- and M16s in particular -- will be an important factor in keeping the Maoists at the negotiating table. Obviously, the positive exercise of Indian military aid and political influence is absolutely key to a final resolution of Nepal's complex political and security problems.  Embassy applauds efforts in New Delhi and Washington (see, for example, Delhi's useful cable, reftel) to strengthen our constructive dialogue with India on Nepal, and intends to redouble our efforts here to build on our new strategic relationship with India as we press forward with our arms assistance to Nepal.

     MALINOWSKI

`