just got this on the email...fyi.
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Title:Senator Leahy Letter to Secretary of State Rice
Issue Date:13-Feb-05
PLEASE URGE YOUR SENATORS TO SIGN THIS LETTER!
Attached is a letter concerning the situation in Nepal that Senator Patrick
Leahy will be sending to the Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice. It would
help to have many other senators sign the letter, so if you want to do
something, please contact your senator as soon as possible. Here is a link
with all the senators and their phone numbers and websites.
http://www.theorator.com/senate.html
The easiest way is to e-mail them. Senators really do pay attention to
messages from their constituents. It would be good to mention why you are
so concerned, and your personal ties to Nepal. Also attached is a very
informative press release from Human Rights Watch.
Please forward this message around to whoever you think may be interested.
Thank you.
February , 2005
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rice:
We are writing out of concern for the deepening political crisis in Nepal. The actions taken by King Gyanendra since February 1, 2005, represent a drastic setback to the cause of democracy and require us to review our assistance for Nepal.
We appreciate the Department?s statements calling for the immediate restoration of multi-party democracy and the protection of human rights. Such statements ? along with those made by the United Nations, the governments of India, the United Kingdom, and other countries, and a wide range of international non-governmental organizations ? make the world community?s rejection of the February 1 action abundantly clear. But words do not appear to have altered the situation on the ground.
Since February 1, King Gyanendra has suspended civil liberties, including freedom of the press and right of assembly; placed Nepal?s last elected prime minister, the leader of the largest political party, and dozens of other political leaders under detention; cut off telephone and Internet communication; and given virtually unfettered power to security forces whose human rights record was already described by the State Department as ?poor.?
The proclamation by which the monarch assumed unilateral control sets no limit on the period of monarchical rule, stating merely that the King?s new ministers ?will give utmost priority to reactivating multiparty democracy in the country within three years.? It is our understanding that the Constitution of Nepal, which has explicit provisions governing the monarch?s ability to declare a State of Emergency, provides no legal basis for the King?s extreme action.
Nepal faces many challenges, including widespread poverty, a growing Maoist insurgency, a highly troubling human rights situation, and weak political institutions. The King?s action will make these challenges more difficult. It will embolden the Maoists (who have long criticized the monarchy as anti-democratic), derail the possibility of peace talks, further weaken and alienate the political parties, and divert the Army?s attention from fighting the insurgency to controlling politicians and journalists.
We believe that the best hope for reversing the King?s misguided decision and setting Nepal firmly on a course of strengthening democracy and ending the conflict is through coordinated, constructive pressure from the international community. We are hopeful that King Gyanendra can be persuaded that ruling by decree is not an effective way to solve Nepal?s problems.
To this end, we urge you to propose the formation of a contact group including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and other concerned countries, represented by a special envoy to negotiate a resolution among the constitutional forces in Kathmandu. The envoy could seek broad support within Nepal for the establishment of a new multi-party government with new party representatives, the restoration of constitutional rights, and political and economic reforms aimed to undercut the Maoists? agenda ? reforms which are long overdue.
In the interim, we urge you to declare the immediate suspension of any obligation or delivery of FY 2004 and FY 2005 aid to the Nepalese Army. This would reinforce similar moves made in recent days by the governments of India and the United Kingdom. The Administration?s request for $4 million in Foreign Military Financing for FY 2006 ? more than double the FY 2005 level? comes at a particularly inopportune time, and could be misinterpreted in Kathmandu as a sign of approval for the palace?s anti-democratic moves. Congressional support for this assistance will depend on the King?s progress in restoring democracy and the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal.
Whether or not the actions of February 1 automatically trigger Section 508 of the Foreign Operations Act, the King?s actions are clearly at odds with the intent of the law and with the goals outlined by President Bush in his inaugural address:
?it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture. . . We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people.?
We agree, and we encourage you to ensure that these words are backed up by strong, effective action.
With best regards,
