We are cautiously optimistic: Mistura

Staffan de Mistura, the head of the United Nations Mission to Nepal, has expressed cautious optimism about the consensus between the seven-party government and the Maoists on the issue of the management of arms and armies.

“We are cautiously optimistic. Over the last few hours both the sides have come fairly closer,” Mistura said speaking at a press conference organised at the Tribhuvan International Airport before the team’s departure from Nepal Thursday afternoon.
He added, “If both the sides become able to adopt and announce confidence building measures we will probably help in acceleration.” He informed the mission would present its report to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan by the middle of next week.
During its weeklong stay in Kathmandu, the UN Mission had held discussions with various personalities including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, ministers, leaders of the seven-party alliance, CPN (Maoist) and the foreign missions based here and had set a three-day ‘deadline’, on Tuesday, before the government and the Maoists to arrive at a consensus on how the UN should engage itself in Nepal’s peace process.
The Mission visited the regional headquarters of the Nepali Army and a temporary camp of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in mid-western Nepal on Wednesday.
“Nepal is a special case. For Nepal there is a need for special measures,” Mistura said at the TIA press meet. Earlier today, the UN team had met with Prime Minister Koirala and Deputy Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on the issue of management of arms and armies.
Koirala and Maoist supremo Prachanda had held a meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar last evening and discussed the UN Mission’s concern. Reports said the two sides have agreed to send a joint letter to UN Secretary General but no official word has come yet.

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Nepal Is Proud For Its Beauty.

Nepal carries long history of civilization, culture, tradition, politics and heritage. Nepal has close ties with both of its neighbours, India and China. Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas.Nepal is beautiful and an Independent country.

Nepal has certain geographic and natural attractions. Tourists come to Nepal for trekking. Almost all the trekking areas are en route the rural villages, which are benefiting the locals. Nepal is a unique destination for tourists because of the warmth, affection and friendliness of Nepalese people. In Nepal tourism can intervene to provide better opportunities, empowerment of poor at local level.Nepal producing tourism. How best the energy and produce more and better (higher value and value-added) tourism business is the key to running a successful Nepal.Nepalese know, economic power is much more important in this time.Nepal, is also developing a mutually reinforcing agricultural and tourist industries.

Almost always, there is more money to be made but, hostilities are usually bad for business, so everyone has a stake in seeing a good peace established.Nepal is continue to remain a popular adventure and nature-based tourist destination even in the days to come. What can a nation, such as Nepal, learn from all this?Perhaps the following:

1. Local conditions and the cultural background of each nation must be taken into account. There is, perhaps, no “one size fits all” Nation and development model.

2. In creating and fostering a peace, development, a nation must also allow the ingredients which “grow” and nurture democracies: literacy, and education. I would also add women’s rights as a necessary to any successful nation in the 21st Century.

3. The process of a development is a process. People must be prepared for setbacks in the development experiment and not yield to the temptation for a “quick fix”.

4.It is most difficult to exercise people’s rights when the basic security affecting life and limb is lacking due to war and revolution.

5. If the education is available, people will find the way to make it useful to them and, in the process, create the conditions favorable to a development suited to their needs.Nepal’s Proud Histroy1.Indo-Aryan tribes entered the valley around 1500 BCE. Around 1000 BCE, small kingdoms and confederations of clans arose. One of the princes of the Shakya confederation was Siddharta Gautama (563­483 BCE), who renounced his royalty to lead an ascetic life and came to be known as the Buddha (“the one who has awakened”).By 250 BCE, the region came under the influence of the Mauryan empire of northern India, and later became a puppet state under the Gupta Dynasty in the 4th century CE. From the late 5th century CE, rulers called the Licchavis governed the area. The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late 8th century and was followed by a Newari era, from 879, although the extent of their control over the entire country is uncertain. By late 11th century, southern Nepal came under the influence of the Chalukaya Empire of southern India. Under the Chalukayas, Nepal’s religious establishment changed as the kings patronised Hinduism instead of the prevailing Buddhism.In 1765 the Gorkha ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah set out to unify the kingdoms, after first seeking arms and aid from India and buying the neutrality of bordering Indian kingdoms. After several bloody battles and sieges, he managed to unify Nepal three years later. This marked the birth of the modern nation of Nepal.

A dispute and subsequent war with Tibet over control of mountain passes forced Nepal to retreat and pay heavy repatriations. Rivalry with the British East India Company over the annexation of minor states bordering Nepal eventually led to the brief but bloody Anglo-Nepalese War (1815­16), in which Nepal defended its present day borders but lost its territories west of the Kali River, including present day Uttaranchal state and several Punjab Hill States of present day Himachal Pradesh. The Treaty of Sugauli also ceded parts of the Terai and Sikkim to the Company in exchange for Nepalese autonomy.

Nepal’s War with BritishThe British launched their attack on the Nepali forces at Nalapani, the western most point of Nepal’s frontier at the close of 1814. Though the Nepalese were able to inflict heavy losses to the British army on various fronts, the larger army and the superior weapons of the British proved too strong.

The Nepali army evacuated the areas west of the Mahakali river and ultimately the treaty of Sugauli was signed with the British in 1816. Among other things, this treaty took away a large chunk of the Terai from Nepal and the rivers Mahakali and Mechi were fixed as the country’s western and eastern boundaries. (Source:2. Gurkhas fought against the British army in the Nepal wars of the early 19th century, during which a mutual respect and admiration developed between the two sides. The British, very much impressed by the extraordinary bravery and fighting skills of the Gurkhas, started to enlist them into their military ranks after a peace deal signed in 1815, and this unusual symbiosis has lasted ever since. It is estimated that the British brigade of Gurkhas is the fourth largest foreign currency earner for Nepal’s economy.

(This artical had been adopted from bosnianepalbritainmilitary)

Prachanda meets PM Koirala

Maoist chairman Prachanda met with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s residence at Baluwatar, Kathmandu, Wednesday evening.
Nepali Congress sources said the informal meeting between PM Koirala and the Maoist supremo was mainly focused on how a consensus could be forged regarding management of arms and armies of the state and the Maoists.

The meeting came after the three-day ‘deadline’ set by visiting United Nations Mission led by Staffan de Mistura, asking all concerned sides to arrive at a consensus, before the team’s departure on Thursday, as to how the world body should engage itself in Nepal’s peace process.
Prachanda had entered the PM’s residence at around 5:00 p.m. and stayed there for over two hours, the source said. The two leaders also discussed the implementation process of the 8-point understanding between the seven-party alliance and the CPN (Maoist), among others.
No official word has come regarding the issues discussed at the Koirala-Prachanda meeting.

India expresses concern over Maoist extortion in Nepal

India has expressed concern over reports that Indian businessmen in Nepal are being harassed by Maoists with extortion demands.
Navtej Sarna, the spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry, told reporters here on Tuesday that New Delhi had approached Kathmandu at the highest levels to sort out the issue.
"There have been incidents of extortion against businessmen and industrial units including, Indian joint ventures in Hetauda-Birgunj area. Cases involving Indian joint ventures have been taken up by us with the Government of Nepal at the highest levels," Sarna said.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has received one complaint of Maoist-related extortion so far.
"We are in constant touch with the Government of Nepal on all such incidents which come to our notice and we have urged the Government of Nepal to investigate these as well as to provide security and safety to the Indian nationals in Nepal whose welfare and security is naturally of prime concern to the Government of India," Sarna said.
The Maoist affiliated All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union has demanded that only Nepalis be employed in the country's casinos, asking all non-Nepali's including Indians to leave the country.
The rebel union has given a 14-point demand to at least two casinos, including the demand to employ only Nepalis.
Maoist insurgency must be viewed in the light of the history of Nepal's Communist movement. The Communist movement in Nepal that first appeared in 1949 after the formation of Communist Party of Nepal under the leadership of late Pushpa Lal Shrestha emerged as an intellectual opposition to Nepali Congress's policy of compromise.
The reports of extortion are surprising in view of the fact that in June this year, Nepal had invited the Indian business community to explore investment opportunities in the areas of hydro electricity, tourism and labour intensive manufacturing, among others.
Nepal's Finance Minister, Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, said then that with peace returning to his country in the wake of an eight-point agreement between the political parties and the rebel Maoists, Nepal could be said to possess a safe and violence-free business environment.
"We are aware that the success in achieving a lasting peace will depend on accelerated economic development that will effectively reach all areas of the country," Mahat had said then, adding that Kathmandu's focus was on speeding up the process of economic reforms and creating a conducive environment for foreign direct investment.
As noted columnist Praful Bidwai has said in one his recent articles, India has a huge stake in Nepal's well-being and stability, which is a pre-condition for the progress and prosperity of a big swathe of the Gangetic Delta, from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar and Bengal, not to speak of Uttaranchal.

ENTRANCENEPAL.COM

CoAS Thapa to attend the probe panel on Thursday

The defense ministry on Tuesday informed the High Level Probe Commission (HLPC) in writing that army chief Pyar Jung Thapa would respect the HLPC's summons this time and be available to the commission for interrogation scheduled for Thursday.

The commitment of the defense ministry came after widespread criticism of the Nepal Army for not respecting summon of the HLPC, after the Chief of Army Staff did not appear at the HLPC to file statement on Sunday.
The commission plans to interrogate Thapa over his alleged role in atrocities that took place during the April movement as he was the Chief of the Unified Command, but Thapa went Pokhara on Sunday rather than presenting himself before the HLPC saying the Pokhara visit was pre-planned.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has defended the move of Chief of Army Staff Pyar Jung Thapa to defer his summon at the HLPC on Sunday.
During the party's Central Working Committee meeting on Tuesday, Koirala informed party members that he had assigned the army chief for the Pokhara trip before the Commission summoned him.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Bishnu Dutt Upreti said that there was no intention on the part of the army chief to defy the Commission's summons.
"The ministry had given prior permission to Thapa to go to Pokhara," he added, while returning from Koirala’s residence after meeting him on Tuesday.

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Nepal plans to allow women on throne

Nepal's multi-party government has finalised draft legislation that would allow women to succeed to the throne amid growing debate about the future of monarchy, a government minister said on Tuesday.
Under centuries-old royal tradition and present law, only a male can ascend the Himalayan kingdom's throne and the king has the sole authority to name his successor.
If the plan becomes law, the king's first child - of either sex - will succeed the monarch, and in the absence of a natural heir the successor will be decided by a panel headed by the prime minister.
The move comes after violent pro-democracy protests in April led to the king being reduced to a figurehead.
"This will allow even a woman to ascend the throne if she is the first child," Tourism Minister Pradip Gyanwali told Reuters.
"The move is designed to end discrimination in deciding the successor on the basis of sex," he said. "It also ends the king's power to decide who will succeed him."
For centuries, Nepal saw the king as a reincarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu.
That image was shattered after the palace massacre in 2001 when Crown Prince Dipendra reportedly killed his parents and most royal family members before turning the gun on himself.
The reputation of King Gyanendra, who succeeded to the throne, has also been battered after he took total power in February last year and by the wave of protests that followed.
"Down with monarchy" was the war cry of tens of thousands of democracy protesters in April, a call that would have been considered blasphemous even a few years ago.
"The draft will be presented to the parliament soon and is expected to be passed easily because there is growing demand for curtailing the king's role," Gyanwali said.
The legislation would also eliminate state allowances for minor members of the royal family, limiting them to the king or queen, their consort, the crown prince or princess and the queen mother.
Parliament recently took away the king's control over the army, stripped him of his legislative roles and turned the world's only Hindu kingdom into a secular state. The king is also subject to taxes.
The government and Maoist rebels are preparing for elections to a special assembly to prepare a new constitution to decide the future of monarchy.
While some political parties want the monarchy abolished, others prefer to keep the king in a ceremonial role.
"The planned law shows that as of now the present government accepts the monarchy in its ceremonial role," said Lok Raj Baral, executive chairman of Nepal Centre for Contemporary Studies, a private think-tank.
The Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to set up a communist state in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people.

WFP starts airlifting food to drought-hit western Nepal

The United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) has started airlifting food to the drought-hit districts of western Nepal.
A press release issued by the WFP said it began emergency helicopter operations to help feed 250,000 drought-affected people in the far west.
The statement quoted WFP Representative Richard Ragan as saying, "Of the 10 districts we're hoping to feed, only Bajura, Dailekh, Kalikot, and Jajarkot have benefited so far. The other six hard hit areas of Rolpa, Rukum, Dolpa, Humla, Jumla and Mugu won't get any food unless we are able to raise more funds.” He further said, “We have also asked government if we might get the support of the Nepal Army for transport assistance."
The start of the monsoon rains has now made road access nearly impossible with trucks blocked by landslides and rising rivers, the statement said.
The statement further informed that as of 30 July, 188.12 metric tones had already been airlifted to Bajura district. An additional 1,300 metric tones of food will be airlifted to Humla, Jumla, Dolpa, and Mugu districts.
In addition to the airlift, 1,100 metric tones of food-aid have been delivered by truck to Bajura, Jajarkot, Kalikot, and Dailekh districts.
The statement further said that WFP is continuing to closely monitor the food security situation in the far-west and has received reports that some villages are again facing problems with this year's crop as a result of hailstorms, strong summer winds and poor rainfall.

Nepal to keep one-China policy

Nepal's new government has promised to continue its "one China" policy and said it will not allow any anti-Chinese activities in the Himalayan nation, a minister said.

Officials gave the pledge in talks with China's Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei in Kathmandu, who had wrapped up a three-day visit, Nepal's Foreign Minister Khadag Prasad Oli said on Saturday.
"We assured the Chinese delegation that we will abide by the 'one-China' policy and will not allow any activities against China in our territory," Oli said. Nepal sits between India and China.
The "one-China" doctrine maintains that the only Chinese state is the People's Republic of China. Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province.
Oli said talks with the 10-member Chinese delegation also focused on widening bilateral relations and the government's peace process with Maoist rebels.

Leaders in favour of referendum to decide the fate of monarchy

Leaders of the two major constituents of the ruling seven party alliance has said a referendum could also be held along with the elections to a Constituent Assembly to seek people’s opinion on whether or not to give continuity to monarchy.
Presenting a paper on “Constituent Assembly: Process and Challenges” at an interaction organised by the Kirtipur Nagar Committee of the CPN-UML, central committee member of the CPN-UML Rajendra Shrestha suggested that a referendum be held along with the CA elections, asking the people whether or not they wanted to keep monarchy.
Commenting on the paper, Ashok Rai, standing committee member of the CPN-UML, said Italy had also opted for a referendum to decide the fate of the monarchy in 1946.
Rai suggested that the panel drafting the interim constitution also include in the statute a provision of holding referendum on the monarchy along with the CA elections.
Likewise, speaking at the same programme, joint general secretary of the Nepali Congress Dr Ram Baran Yadav said that the referendum is the best option to decide the fate of monarchy.
He further said that his party does not want to bear the burden of the monarchy in the changed political context. He said, “The ground reality is that nobody is in favour of keeping monarchy.