Even as the Nepalese capital was rife with talk about the formation of the interim cabinet during the day, the US conveyed to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Friday its reservations about the induction of Maoist rebels in into the government.US Ambassador to Nepal James Moriarty met Prime Minister G P Koirala and told him that the Maoists did not deserve any place in the interim set-up as there was “no change in their behaviour”. “Giving them any legitimacy and authority could prove to be dangerous,” he said.According to sources, he has met a number of leaders in this regard. The Maoists and the political leadership of Nepal had reached an agreement that the rebels would be included in the Cabinet and all properties seized by the rebels during the 10-year insurgency would be returned to their owners.The prime minister is believed to be under intense pressure to include Maoists representatives in his ministry. His key adviser Shekhar Koirala said, “The Maoists should be included in the cabinet before the PM leaves for the SAARC summit in Delhi.” Koirala will be going to New Delhi for the South Asian summit scheduled for April 3 and 4, before returning home on April 6.Koirala’s Nepali Congress too is divided over the issue with an overwhelming majority of the party working committee endorsing the line taken by Ambassador Moriarty. The prime minister’s daughter, Sujata Koirala, who is a CWC member, strongly feels that there is need for a tangible change in the behaviour of Maoists. She feels that return of seized private and government property the rebels should be a precondition for their joining the Cabinet.
