Menon meets Prachanda; discusses Nepal's peace process

Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Feb 17 (PTI) Nepal's controversial army
integration issue, the Constitution-drafting process and
bilateral economic cooperation figured in talks between Prime
Minister Prachanda and Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar
Menon, who arrived here Tuesday on a surprise two-day visit.

Menon met Prachanda at the Prime Minister's residence at
Baluwatar and discussed issues relating to bilateral economic
cooperation, including construction of the 245 MW Naumure
Hydro-electricity Project, financed by India, to help Nepal
overcome its severe power crisis, Prachanda's Foreign Affairs
Adviser Hira Bahadur Thapa said.

During the one-and-a-half-hour meeting, the two sides
also discussed the issue of compensation to the victims of
last year's devastating Kosi floods, Thapa told reporters.

Citing high-level sources, Kantipur Television reported
that Prachanda and Menon discussed Nepal's peace process
including the Constitution-drafting, army integration and
squabbling among political parties in the Himalayan country.

Napal's ruling Maoists are engaged in a row with other
major parties over the army integration issue. The Maoists
want en masse merger of their former combatants with the
Nepalese Army while other parties demand that only deserving
candidates should be integrated into the force.

However, Thapa said that no political issue came up for
discussion during the meeting.

Menon also met former Premier and the main opposition
Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala at his
residence at Maharajgunj after meeting Prachanda.

"My visit is a part of normal process of strengthening
ties with friendly countries," Menon earlier told reporters at
the Tribhuvan International Airport upon his arrival.

He is also scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Upendra
Yadav Wednesday.

Political analysts here termed Menon's visit as highly
significant, specially as it took place at a time when Chinese
interest was growing in the Himalayan nation and differences
cropping up among major political parties over the key issues,
including army integration, moving ahead with the peace
process and issuing ordinances on important matters.

In the wake of the exchange of high-level visits between
Nepal and China, political observers said that Beijing's
interest in Nepal was growing, especially after the Maoists
came to power.

Deputy Chief of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
ruling Communist Party of China Liu Hongcai had met Prime
Minister Prachanda on Sunday last and discussed security
matters and other bilateral issues.

Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood was also present during the
Prachanda-Menon meeting.

"They (Prachanda and Menon) reviewed the implementation of
the projects mentioned in the joint statement issued during
the visit of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to
Nepal in November," Thapa said.

He said the rehabilitation of the victims of the Kosi
floods was one of the main issues discussed during the
meeting. PTI SBP
SAK