Heads up – Embassy 27 – July 2010

Licensed to thrill

Action thrillers are a great way to unwind, says Suresh Chalise, Nepal’s new Ambassador. As a one-time peace negotiator, involved in secret talks with rebel leaders while an insurrection was raging, he has seen enough action to make his own movie.

An adviser to six-times Prime Minister G P Koirala, the Ambassador was a key interlocutor between the government and the Maoist rebels. He also worked closely with Mr Koirala from 2002 to 2006 to restore democratic rule in Nepal.

Ambassador vividly recalls the dark days after King Gyanendra seized power in 2005, at a time when the civil conflict had claimed more than 13,000 lives. “I remember Mr Koirala saying to me: ‘As a democratic leader of the nation, I have three responsibilities: to bring the derailed democratic process back on track; to stop this bloodshed; and to transform the undemocratic forces into a democratic party.’

A year later, on a tense night when thousands of Nepalese citizens poured on to the streets in protest demanding a return to democracy, Ambassador Chalise was in quiet talks at a dinner with the King’s army general. “He was in constant radio contact with the Palace as we talked about restoring the democracy to the country,” he says.

The next day the King’s private secretary held talks with the Seven Party Alliance and by midnight democracy was restored. Peace talks began in earnest soon after.

In July 2006, Chalise led a team of three army generals in delicate confidence-building talks with the Maoist leadership. A month later, after much frustration and a few abortive attempts, he cajoled the government and the rebels to agree on a letter inviting the UN to oversee the peace process.

By November of the same year, a Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed, ending a 10-year insurgency. Within months, what seemed impossible a few years prior, finally happened: the Maoist leaders entered parliament. “I take satisfaction knowing that I, too, played a part in bringing the peace to our country,” says the Ambassador, who was rewarded for his efforts by being appointed Nepal’s Ambassador to the US.

But there is still much to do. Following the abolition of the monarchy, Nepal is in the process of writing a new constitution for a new republic. “It has been very challenging,” admits Chalise.

The Constitutional Assembly responsible for drafting the new constitution recently had its tenure extended by a year to tackle contentious issues. These include deciding on the form of governance – presidential or parliamentary – and the issues of federalism.

At the same time, there are unresolved issues in the peace process, notably the incorporation of former Maoist rebels into the Nepalese Army and the decommissioning of their arms.

“But we are making good progress,” says the Ambassador. “We know how important peace and a stable government is for development. Once we accomplish these two tasks, within ten years Nepal will be prosperous.”

For those who think that’s too ambitious, the Ambassador posits three reasons for confidence. “Firstly, we have human resources. Everybody who has worked with our Gurkha peacekeepers knows how courageous and dependable the Nepalese people are. Furthermore, under the monarchical system certain ethnic and regional groups were excluded. But now that we have democracy, our human capital will be utilised to its fullest potential.”

Nepal has abundant natural resources, he adds. Aptly called the ‘roof of the world’ Nepal’s majestic mountains are a magnet for tourists. As the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Nepal is a place of pilgrimage for the world’s Buddhists.

Blessed with plentiful fresh water, the country is the reservoir of the region. “This also gives us great potential for hydropower, a clean form of energy,” adds the Ambassador. Gas deposits were recently discovered in the south west of the country and its vast limestone deposits, used in making cement, is in great demand with the construction booms in neighbouring India and China.

And that ties in with the Ambassador’s third reason for optimism: Nepal’s strategic location between two emerging giants, China and India. “In the past it was said that Nepal was squeezed by its big neighbours like a yam between two boulders,” says Chalise. “But now I see us as a transit point between two goldmines!”

With that in mind, the country is seeking investors to upgrade its infrastructure and the UK is seen as a key partner in its development programme.

The UK and Nepal also share close people-to-people ties strengthened by the Gurkhas who are highly respected in the UK Defence Force. The Ambassador takes his duty to Gurkha veterans very seriously – one of his first acts as Ambassador was to pay his respects to two Gurkha heroes who have been awarded the Victoria Cross.

And having the lovely Joanna Lumley visiting the embassy to lend her support to various Nepalese causes, including the Gurkhas, is an added bonus, he smiles.

Ms Lumley’s visit even paved the way for his once-in-a-lifetime tour of Pinewood Studios to see the James Bond set. Perhaps Ambassador Chalise will star in an action movie after all…