WEEK IN NEWS


Political Briefs


Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao came for a one day official visit to Nepal. Wen who landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport at 11:50 am in his special aircraft met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, PM Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Speaker Subash Nemwang, other ministers, key political leaders and senior government officials during his four-hour stay in Kathmandu. The Chinese Premier pledged a grant assistance of nearly Rs 12 billion to Nepal over the next three years. The two sides also signed eight agreements during the visit. He left for Doha, the capital of Qatar at 4 pm. (Jan 14)


PM Dr Baburam Bhattarai hinted at splitting the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC) into two separate ministries. Addressing the 19th Annual General Assembly of National Cooperative Union Limited in the Capital, Dr Bhattarai said that discussions were underway to set up a new Ministry of Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation. "The cooperative sector is a dynamic one. So, we are planning on establishing a separate ministry for this sector," said Bhattarai. The PM's remarks came at a time when Minister without portfolio, Raj Lal Yadav, has been warning to resign by Jan 21 if he were not given a ministerial portfolio. The MoAC is currently headed by Nanda Kumar Datta of the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Ganatantrik. (Jan 13)


Former PM and CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal claimed that the present coalition government cannot accomplish the task of drafting the new constitution. Addressing the national assembly of Youth Association Nepal, UML's sister wing, at Birtamod in Jhapa district, Khanal also demanded the resignation of the Bhattarai-led government at the earliest. Khanal, who came down heavily on the Maoists throughout his speech, said that the fresh disputes had arisen in the constitution drafting process because the Maoists were not ready to implement the earlier agreements. Speaking on the occasion, senior UML leader and former PM Madhav Kumar Nepal, too, accused the Maoists of stalling the peace and constitution drafting processes. Nepal warned that the new constitution would not be drafted on May 27 if the Maoists continued to be "irresponsible." (Jan 13)


Nepali Congress Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel refuted media reports that an agreement had already been reached by the major parties in Geneva on the form of governance to be adopted by the new constitution. Emerging from a Constitutional Committee (CC) meeting, Poudel claimed that the NC has never sent any representative from the party to Switzerland to strike such a deal. "The party has never sent any representative to sign the said deal. In fact, we are unaware about any such agreement," said Poudel. Recently, some newspapers reported that the second-tier leaders of the major three political parties and the Madhesi Front had striked a deal in Switzerland last year to adopt include the provision of a directly elected President and a House elected Prime Minister in the new constitution. (Jan 12)


UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal held discussions with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and some other senior ministers to induct the hardline faction of his party in the government. Following his discussions with Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya on Jan 7, Dahal claimed that all the intra-party differences had been resolved and that the Baidya faction was ready to join the government. Dahal also assured Bhattarai that he was not for changing the government leadership, "as rumoured by some people in the past couple of days." Emerging from the meeting, DPM Shrestha said the discussion dwelt upon transforming the present government into a national consensus government by taking the hardliners and other parties on board. (Jan 11)


The Supreme Court ordered the government not to implement the latter's decision to remove Late King Tribhuvan's bust from the Shahid Gate in Kathmandu. A single bench of Justice Shushila Karki issued the stay order after preliminary hearing on a writ petition filed by advocates Kamalesh Dwibedi and Gulab Bista. The petitioners argued that the first democratically elected government headed by Late PM BP Koirala had declared the King Tribhuvan a 'martyr' for his fight against the Rana oligarchy and asked the court to prevent the government decision. A cabinet meeting on January 1 had decided to remove the bust from the Shahid Gate and shift it to the Narayanhiti Palace Museum. (Jan 10)


The International Relations and Human Rights Committee of the Legislature-Parliament directed the government to bring back military antiques and weapons sold at a throwaway price to the International Military Antiques, a US-based military collector, some twelve-years ago. A meeting of the parliamentary committee took a decision to this effect after concluding that the military antiques were indeed of historical importance. Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Narayan Kazi Shrestha said that if it is proven that the military antiques were of archeological and historical importance, then the government will initiate the process to bring them back. It is said that the palace, the then government and the Army had consented to the deal so as to raise money for the purchase of modern weaponry to fight the then Maoist rebels. (Jan 10)