India lends support to Nepal's leadership on peace process

Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, Jan 18 (PTI) As Nepal struggles to bring
its fragile peace process on track, India on Tuesday extended
its full support to it for a satisfactory culmination of the
transition and strengthening of a democratic set up.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Tuesday held high
level consultations on the first day of her official visit to
Nepal, holding meetings with President Ram Baran Yadav and
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, among others.
The Foreign Secretary first called on President Yadav,
and later held talks with Nepal and Parliament speaker Subhash
Nemwang.
During her meeting with Prime Minister Nepal at the
latter's residence, Rao conveyed India's strong support to a
satisfactory culmination of the peace process and
strengthening of multi party democracy in Nepal.
Nepal is locked in a political crisis for over a year
and its peace process is in tatters as it struggles to get
over political and ideological differences between major
parties who were elected to the Constituent Assembly in 2008
in the landmark elections that marked the country's transition
from a monarchy to a parliamentary republic.
The Constituent Assembly that was tasked with drafting
a constitution has failed to make any progress and the peace
process remains stalled.
Nepal has failed to elect a new prime minister
following the resignation of Nepal, with 16 rounds of
inconclusive polls in the parliament, further hampering the
peace process.
"We discussed matters of common concern of bilateral,
regional and international levels. We had very good discussion
on a number of issues as close neighbours and we have been in
constant touch," she said after the meeting.
She said that during her meeting with the Prime
Minister, they also assessed the progress made in implementing
various projects under bilateral cooperation between Nepal and
India.
Rao said the two sides felt there was a need to
expedite work on projects which were agreed upon during the
visit of Prime Minister Nepal to India in August 2009.
Prime Minister Nepal's Foreign Affairs Adviser Rajan
Bhattarai said during the meeting the two sides agreed to make
progress on various projects being constructed under Indian
assistance.
"There are some projects like Integrated Check Post,
cross border Railway survey and formation of Nepal Police
Academy, in which works have delayed due to various reasons,
and the two sides have agreed to expedite these projects," he
said.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Nepal told the
Foreign Secretary that his country is working for early
conclusion of the peace process by expediting the integration
and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants. (MORE) PTI