Indian special envoy arrives in Kathmandu
Special envoy of Indian Prime Minister Dr Man Mohan Singh to Nepal, Karan Singh, arrived in Kathmandu Wednesday afternoon to convey India's message to the king about its stance on the current political crisis in Nepal.
Singh, who has been accompanied by Pankaj Saran, a Joint Secretary at the Indian External Affairs ministry, landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport on a Jet Airways flight. Nepali media persons were not allowed to enter the airport to meet Singh.
Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Secretary and former Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shyam Sharan, also arrived in Kathmandu from Bhutan this morning. He stayed in Thimpu for two days.
Apart from their meeting with the King, the two top delegates are expected to hold talks with the leaders of various political parties including Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala, president of Nepali Congress (Democratic) Sher Bahadur Deuba, chairman of Rastriya Janashakti Party Surya Bahadur Thapa and CPN-UML leaders. The meetings will start from Wednesday evening.
Singh is scheduled to meet the King on Thursday. He is known to have excellent relations with Nepal's royal palace, according to media reports.
India decided to send its special envoy to Nepal two days after Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shanker Mukherjee, met with the King and conveyed India's message underlining the immediate need for dialogue with political parties and restoration of multi-party democracy.
India and the rest of the international community has been building pressure on the monarch to relinquish power that he seized by removing an elected government 14 months ago.
Expressing "concern" over the tough situation in Nepal, ambassador Mukherjee on Sunday urged the King to initiate dialogue with political parties to forge reconciliation and national consensus. nepalnews.com ia Apr 19 06
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