# Prem Sagar Poudel
Nepal is gradually developing as an American center. Lately, American activities have been increasing in Nepal. Not only on the streets, but also in the parliament, the growing influence of the Americans seems to be being debated.
Participating in the government’s policy and program, UML MP Dr. Bhim Rawal said: “Are we within the realm of US defense interests? If not, why did Shridhar Khatri, Nepal’s ambassador to the US, meet with Lindsay Ford, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the South and Southeast Asia?”
In response to Rawal’s question, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said: “We have no information about Ambassador Khatri’s meeting with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Lindsay Ford.” While Prime Minister Deuba was speaking in Parliament on 14th Jeshth, a photo of Ambassador Khatri meeting with Deputy Secretary of Defense Lindsay Ford was posted on the web site of the Nepalese Embassy in the United States.
The information that Ambassador Khatri met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Lindsay was also mentioned in the tweet of the Nepali Embassy in Washington. According to the embassy, cooperation between the Nepal Army and the US Army was also discussed during the meeting. Ambassador Khatri also made the issue public on the web site and social media then why Prime Minister Deuba escaped from Parliament from the question is very important. It gives a glimpse into our recent foreign policy.
Trust on Army:
American influence in Nepal seems to be steadily increasing. During her last visit to Nepal, US Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya returned to the United States crossing all the limits of the diplomacy. The government had arranged all for her to go to an independent Tibetan camp. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “We are not aware of any visits to the Tibetan refugee camps.” Meanwhile, Nepali Ambassador to the US Khatri forgot the protocol and met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Lindsay. The government of Nepal did not know! On the other hand, the Nepalese government did not know that US Under Secretary of State Zeya had met the Tibetan refugees.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal did not want to know that US Under Secretary of State Uzra had met the Prime Minister’s wife Arzu Deuba at the PM’s residence in Baluwatar. All these incidents have made it clear that the Nepal government does not know whatever the United States has done. It seems that they have been keeping some issues secret because the US does not trust the Nepal government. Nepalese know such issues only after the work is done, that too from outside the government machinery.
The job of an ambassador is to find a solution to all kinds of problems from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Therefore, there seems to be a special purpose behind the ambassador meeting the officials of the Ministry of Defense outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Under normal circumstances, foreign affairs are used, even if it is related to defense. The ambassador of a country like Nepal met the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Lindsay without using the Foreign Affairs Ministry. This meeting alone shows how important Nepalese geography is to the United States.
Before visiting the Pentagon, the then-Foreign Minister Pradip Gyawali said: “Nepal is now in the eyes of the United States.” He further said: “Nepal has started appearing in the international arena. This has increased the importance of Nepal in the international arena.” According to the Oli government’s foreign minister, Gyawali had agreed to play a central role in the Indo-Pacific Strategy. The same path that Gyawali has taken in recent times has given Khatri the opportunity to meet Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Lindsay.
The Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) is a strategic plan put forward by the United States to encircle China. Making this plan a success requires political will as well as strategic will. The issue of strategic will is the matter of defense than foreign. Therefore, the Ministry of Defense started searching for Ambassador Khatri.
When working in Nepal, it does not seem to trust on Nepalese parties so much by the US. They seem to have a very close relationship with Prime Minister Deuba. It also seems to have gone from Prime Minister Deuba’s court to Arzu’s court on the recent time. Since Arzu works with her own interests at the center, the only reliable organization in Nepal is the Nepal Army.
That is why Chief of Army Staff Prabhuram Sharma is flying to America at a special invitation. It has been decided that General Sharma will pay a visit to the United States from 12th to 18th Ashadh. During his visit, the US government will welcome him to the Pentagon. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Dr. Amy Searight is scheduled to welcome Chief of Army Staff Sharma on 13th Ashadh.
The chief of staff will have important discussions with a senior Pentagon official. Searight looks at bilateral security relations with all countries in South Asia, including India, except Afghanistan and Pakistan. For South and Southeast Asia, the crucial responsibility for determining US defense policy depends to Searight.
Sharma will hold separate meetings with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chiefs of Staff. He will also visit the U.S. National Defense University and the U.S. Navy station in Virginia. The US military is preparing to pay special tribute to General Sharma in the United States. Sharma will also visit some US military training centers and cultural heritage sites. The visiting team will include Chief of Army Staff Sharma, his wife and four other army officers.
Following General Sharma’s visit, the United States will public its defense policy in the region. At present, the defense policy is not complete as it is not clear which country’s army will support it.
The Pentagon has invited Chief of Army Staff Sharma as a special guest to clarify the role that the Nepal Army can play in the IPS. In addition, the United States will try to understand General Sharma’s views on independent Tibetans in Nepal. The Americans understand that they cannot carry out any program in Nepal without the support of the Nepal Army, which has the legacy of suppressing the Khampa insurgency.
Even now, the US Army has been training at the High Altitude and Mountain Warfare School run by the Nepal Army in Jomsom and Kesang, Mustang. The school is operating at the Khampa’s headquarters. The headquarters was built by the CIA to assist Khampa. The US military has been training in the school since 1990.
While in Nepal, US troops have been focusing on various activities in northern Tibet rather than training. However, this training seems to be working to improve the relationship between the Nepal Army and the US Army. At present, the United States is trying to join hands with the Nepal Army on this basis. As the visit of Chief of Army Staff Sharma will finalize the US defense strategy, it seems that the US has started paying special attention to this visit.
The United States has been pressuring for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for long-term cooperation with the Nepal Army under the State Partnership Program (SPP). It has been five years since the United States proposed signing the agreement. There is also a possibility of signing this agreement during the current visit. The then Chief of Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri was positive about the signing of the MoU.
According to the MoU, there will be regular exchange of visits and military exercises between the Nepal Army and the US Army’s Utah National Guard. Therefore, there will be cooperation between the two armies on issues including fighting against disasters. The Memorandum of Understanding, proposed by the US military, is pending at the Department of Defense and Army Headquarters. Michael J. Turley, Adjutant General of the Utah National Guard of the United States Army, who arrived in Nepal a month and a half ago, discussed with the military leadership about the participation of the Nepal Army in the State Partnership Program.
As the Minister of Defense, Dr. Minendra Rijal had discussed with the United States about the participation of Nepal Army in the state partnership. During the discussion, a positive response was given by Nepal. He is scheduled to pay a two-week official visit to the United States in January with the main agenda of advancing the state partnership program and in the meantime Dr. Rijal had resigned. Due to which this agreement has not been able to move forward.
US support:
Independent candidate Balendra Shah, who won the mayoral election in Kathmandu in the recent local elections, was sworn in on 16th Jeshth. After taking oath in Bhrikuti Mandap, he did not go directly to the office. He went to the Nepal Army headquarters first. There, Chief of Army Staff Sharma was waiting for Mayor Balendra.
Another important issue is why Chief of Army Staff Sharma is Balendra’s first priority after being sworn in as mayor. As an independent candidate, Balendra wanted to show the party representatives that he had support of the army behind him. In other words, he is trying to run for the post of mayor of Kathmandu with the help of the army. More importantly, Balendra is a member of the American Youth Congress.
Together with the US embassy, he has been working to create a youth support in favor of the United States. Due to which, his relationship has been good with Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa. Thapa has also been closely associated with the Youth Congress. Therefore, it seems that Balendra met General Sharma with the thought that those close to the US should stay in one place and work.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Deuba is also going to the United States in the last week of Asar after the visit of Chief of Army Staff Sharma. During his visit to the United States, Prime Minister Deuba is scheduled to sign the SOFA agreement. The sofa is a military agreement. This agreement makes it easier for US troops to enter Nepal. However, it is also taken as a multinational investment agreement.
Prime Minister Deuba’s agreement is a multinational investment agreement. It is equally likely to pave the way for American investment in Nepal. The then Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had tried unsuccessfully to reach a similar agreement with the United States. The issue of sofa and SPP agreement will be finalized during the visit of Chief of Army Staff Sharma.
If Chief of Army Staff Sharma is unable to resolve these issues, there will be a ministerial visit before Prime Minister Deuba’s visit. It seems that the schedule of Prime Minister Deuba’s visit will be decided only on the basis of the progress report brought by Chief of Army Staff Sharma. During the visit, US officials are under pressure to reach an agreement on the sofa and SPP. Therefore, before the visit of General Sharma, the American supporters in Nepal are scheduled to meet with Sharma and request him to form the basis of an agreement.
Basis of agreement:
Prime Minister Deuba’s visit to the United States will be followed by a visit by a senior US official if the two agreements are not finalized. At present, the United States seems to be trying to resolve the issues of SOFA, SPP and Tibetan refugees. These issues will move forward as part of the IPS. Agreeing on these issues means that Nepal will formally become a part of IPS.
Prime Minister Deuba has been invited to attend the “Summit for Democracy” initiated by US President Joe Biden. The date of the event has not been fixed yet. The invitation for the event was given by Uzra Zeya, the US Under Secretary of State for Tibet, who recently visited Nepal. Prime Minister Deuba had participated in the ‘Summit for Democracy’ organized through virtual media last December. The United States is holding another conference in December as a continuation of that conference.
Defense Security Assistance Agency trainer Carrie Christine O’Connell is currently in Nepal to set the agenda for Prime Minister Deuba’s visit to the United States. She arrived in Nepal on the morning of May 28, 2022 from Turkish Airlines. She is said to have started formulating a concept of defense work between the United States and Nepal in collaboration with Chief of Army Staff Sharma rather than Prime Minister Deuba. The date of the visit will be made public only after Prime Minister Deuba supports her concept.
She is confident that this time Nepal will sign all the agreements put forward by the United States as it is being carried out under the direct supervision of US President Biden. For Americans who are excited by the parliamentary ratification of the MCC agreement, the Deuba government is seen as the best option. They concluded that the failure of the MCC to form a general election agenda in the recent local elections has institutionalized American thinking in the lower strata of Nepalese society.
