#44 25 - 31 May 2001 20 pages Rs 20 RARARARA RARA RARARARA RARAMrMr Mr Between heaven and earth CondomCondom Condom 10-1110-11 10-114-54-5 4-5 EXCLUSIVE Mao Zedong met visiting Nepali Prime Minister BP Koirala on 18 March 1960 in Henchow after a sudden midnight summon from the Chairman. A transcript of their chat has recently been JUST TALK made public in Beijing. China’s BP and Mao relations with India were deter- Wires are crossed, and there is too BP and Mao iorating and a brief border war much grandstanding and rhetoric was soon to break out. Mao Zedong comes across here as about peace talks with the Maoists. mellow and liberal. BP Koirala, ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ instead of playing India off against China, tries to ease BINOD○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ BHATTARAI tensions between Beijing and f there was less talk about talk and more talk, maybe we would be New Delhi by offering Kath- getting somewhere. But for the moment, wires are crossed, there mandu as a venue for talks. The i is duplication of effort, and too much political grandstanding Nepali prime minister is quite and rhetoric. pushy, and also brings up the But no one seems to know for sure whether the Maoists genuinely want dispute over the world’s a negotiated solution, or they are just pretending. The government for its highest border pillar: Mt part, feels it is losing the war and unless it can wield a big stick the Maoists Everest. There is agreement cannot be persuaded to talk. Deputy prime minister Ram Chandra Poudel to have embassies in each who took part in the first abortive talks in November is not optimistic. He Midnight handshake in other’s capitals. Excerpts told us: “There has been …no progress on the possibility of talks.” (see p. Henchow in 1960. of the transcript: 2) What’s more, Poudel doesn’t even trust the mediators who are trying to ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ get the Maoists to the table. Chairman Mao Zedong: We and India BP: During our talks, Premier Zhou Enlai you for your kindness. You have every A five-member group (all men) representing 11 human rights groups has have been at odds. Never mind. It will be put forward a draft for a friendly treaty. We good intentions. When Nehru said it spent the past two months trying to lay the groundwork. A 15-point over soon. We have common interests, shall take it back to the cabinet for was not convenient for him, we had to “concept paper” has been prepared. because we are both undeveloped decision, there may be some revisions. It make concessions to him. We have had The government has read the paper and the Maoists will get their copy countries. It is a false charge that China may be signed at Kathmandu when quarrels with India for about a year, but when Padma Ratna Tuladhar, one of the five facilitators returns from a invaded India. We do not want an inch of Premier Zhou Enlai visits Nepal after his we are still friends. There are often junket in Geneva. “The process is being publicised as needed because that (their) land. We have a vast land of 9.6 trip to India at the end of April. quarrels between friends, between will also contribute to peacemaking,” says Sudip Pathak, of the Human million sq km, with a large part husband and wife, and between Rights Organisation of Nepal. The Tuladhar initiative would first require Mao: Very good. We have received two of uncultivated. It is a crime to take others’ brothers. We have had no quarrels with both sides to put it in writing that they are committed to dialogue. your prime ministers separately and our land and not run one’s own country well. you, Burma, Ceylon and Cambodia. We There are others. A loose alliance of professionals, politicians and premier should visit you, making it equal. Have we invaded Nepal? We do not want have serious quarrels with only one human rights activists is trying to organise an all-party conference to find a We thank you very much. It is excellent a single inch of Nepalese land. Can we country in the world, the United States. It way out of the bloodshed. The immediate goal is to stop army and armed that we are to set up an embassy in your sign a border and erect boundary has occupied our Taiwan and has called police mobilisation, which they believe will trigger a civil war. This group capital this year. You may set up an SAGAR BUDHATHOKI markers? us “aggressor”. We shall call it has been doing quiet behind-the- embassy here without many people, three Prime Minister B.P. Koirala: Yes, we aggressor, too. scenes spadework since 8 April. It or four, maybe seven or eight. It won’t be can. I have discussed it with Premier Now there is one country that wants to met senior Maoist leaders, and very expensive. It is not difficult to find Zhou Enlai. have ‘‘joint defense’’ with you against upon receiving their commitment people out of eight million people. us. I learned that you did not agree. We to attend, met the prime Mao: Do you agree? BP: When we are ready to send them, it are pleased. You said that Sino-India minister who issued a statement BP: An official marking of the boundary will not be too many, because we cannot relations should be solved by saying the is needed. afford it. themselves and you would not interfere. government was Mao: It is necessary to mark the Mao: We heard that you are building a India alleged that we had invaded you ready for direct talks boundary. Once it is drawn, there can be highway directly to our country. and you made a statement declaring with the Maoists. Members an unpatrolled zone. The length of the BP: No. We wanted to build a highway two there was no invasion. There is a of the group say he also unpatrolled border can be decided years ago. It could not go on because of rumour about our troops intruding into okayed the all-party meet, through consulation. If you like, we can lack of funds. Now technicians from the your country. Is there any intrusion, after but the government has have a clause in the stipulating an Soviet Union are helping survey, in all ? since backtracked, unpatrolled border area, the length of preparation for a east-west highway. BP: Because there isn’t, we made the saying he had agreed to which can be worked out through statement. On the question of the Nepal- all parties except the Maoists. The group has also met the UML who think Mao: You have to go via another foreign consultation. It will be 40 km altogether if Chinese border, there are still conferencing is a good idea. The group is now ready to announce a date. country if you come to our country…in one each side has 20 km, 20 km if each side differences. In our view, there are Secretary of the group, leftist journalist Shyam Shrestha says: “We can organise year, ten years, or 20 years sooner or later has ten km, ten km if each side has five disputes in four places, based on the this conference if the government does not pull back. It will have to trust us.” we shall have a direct road. kilometers. It is up to your convenience. historical situation in the past 50 years. The only trouble with all this is that peace seems to have become BP: I invited Jawaharlal Nehru and How about it? Now it is time to settle the disputes. politics. And one group is racing to outdo the other. “I’ll believe in talks Premier Zhou Enlai to hold talks in our BP: It is worth considering. only when the state and the Maoists do it directly, and the interlocutors capital, Kathmandu, but they could not Mao: Good. have no other political agenda,” says a constitutional expert. The Mao: If you are interested, we can sign a (come). BP: In our talks with Premier Zhou we preparations for talks should also be done in secret to prevent friendly treaty of non-aggression. We are have worked out several principles: first, Mao: It was because Nehru wanted our grandstanding by people who have a declared position on the nature and a big country and we never suspect you draw the boundary based on the existing premier to go to his capital, Delhi. At first type of polity after the talks take place, he says. The allusion seems to be will invade us, but you may suspect that traditionally accepted boundary line, we suggested Rangoon, but Nehru did towards Padma Ratna Tuladhar and Daman Nath Dhungana. But for those we shall invade you. We would commit a second, take into consideration the not agree. Now we have agreed to go to who genuinely seek peace, it seems some talk of talks is better than blunder if we broke the treaty after it was practical situation of jurisdiction by either Delhi, so he cannot go to Nepal. Thank no talk of talks. signed. p. 7 Hotline: 523050 one world... ...one link Internet Access | Email | Fax2Fax | Web Hosting | Domain Registration | VSAT Networks | WAP Services | Software Development 2 EDITORIAL 25 - 31 MAY 2001 NEPALI TIMES NATION 25 - 31 MAY 2001 NEPALI TIMES 3 Nepali Times is published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda Dixit Desk editor: Anagha Neelakantan Design: Swosti Rajbhandari, Kiran Maharjan “We are optimistic we can reach an agreement [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com Marketing: Anup Adhikary [email protected] “The Maoists won’t come to the talks Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Pulchowk, Lalitpur GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal on constitutional reform with the Maoists.” Tel: 543333-7 Fax: 521013 Printed at Jagadamba Press: 521393 unless they are cornered.” N THE REALM OF THE SENSELESS MIN BAJRACHARYA Jhala Nath Khanal is the Standing Com- development process will come together.