US stand on Rome Statute of ICC and Nepal

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 002003 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL PARLIAMENT POISED TO RATIFY ROME STATUTE 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty.  Reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
PARLIAMENT PASSES RESOLUTION TO JOIN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL 
COURT 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
1. (C) On July 25 the House of Representatives unanimously 
passed a resolution directing the Government of Nepal (GON) 
to ratify the Rome Statute to become a member of the 
International Criminal Court.  Deputy Prime Minister and 
Minister of Foreign Affairs K.P. Oli pledged that the GON 
would ratify the statute soon.  The International Criminal 
Court has jurisdiction over the crime of genocide, crimes 
against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. 
 
MP'S AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS APPLAUD RESOLUTION 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
2. (C) Members of Parliament (MP) and Human Rights activists 
were very positive on Nepal's pending ratification of the 
Rome Statute.  Ananda Prasad Dhungana, MP (Nepali Congress), 
told Emboff it was important to ratify the Rome Statute in 
order for Nepal to be a part of the global system.  He added 
that the statute could help prevent the country from entering 
into a civil war.  Noting that the former royal government 
had committed oppressive acts during the recent pro-democracy 
movement, Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, MP (CPN-UML), explained 
that the Rome Statute could provide a deterrent to such 
crimes against humanity happening again.  Kundan Aryal, 
General Secretary of the human rights NGO the Informal Sector 
Service Center (INSEC), opined that the Rome Statute must 
have worried ultra leftists and rightists.  He explained that 
the GON was not powerful enough to punish the King or the 
Army over abuses during the pro-democracy movement, but that 
the Statute would help safeguard democratic institutions from 
being attacked in the future.  Baburam Giri, General 
Secretary of the Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON) 
 
SIPDIS 
said the Statute would stop both the Nepal and Maoist armies 
from carrying out heinous crimes. 
 
COMMENT 
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3. (C) The sense is that the GON wishes to ratify the Rome 
Statute to further its legitimacy to the international 
community.  While a few people we talked to referred to 
punishing the King and members of the former royal 
government, the Parliament resolution does not seem to have 
come about as a result of any GON intent to seek retribution. 
 Importantly, we have an Article 98 agreement with the GON, 
which presumably will prevent any attempts in Nepal to use 
the International Criminal Court as a vehicle to bash the 
United States.  We plan to meet with the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs in the coming days to warn the GON against any 
attempt to revoke the Article 98 agreement. 

http://wikileaks.org/cable/2006/07/06KATHMANDU2003.html

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