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Minister Pradhan holds series of meeting in New York

On the sidelines of the ongoing sixty-second session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), chief of the Nepali delegation, Minister for Foreign Affairs Sahana Pradhan, engaged in a series of meetings with her counterparts as well as high-ranking officials of the United Nations.

The Foreign Minister met with United Nations Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe on Wednesday. They discussed Nepal’s recent political development and UN's role in the peace process, a statement by Nepal mission to UN said.

During the meeting, Pascoe expressed confidence that the ongoing discussion among the political parties in Nepal would create an environment conducive to holding the constituent assembly elections as scheduled on November 22. He also assured of every possible support in the successful holding of the constituent assembly election.

In her meeting with the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Minister Pradhan shared the government's perspectives in addressing the issue of children in Nepal, particularly those affected by conflict.

Coomaraswamy emphasized on the need for reintegration of conflict-affected children into their families and preparation of policy guidelines on children and armed conflict.

Minister Pradhan met with the Norwegian Minister for International Development Erik Solheim on the same day and briefed her counterpart on the present status of the ongoing peace process and recent political developments in Nepal. She thanked Norway’s cooperation to Nepal’s development endeavors and urged for continued support in the post conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction programme. Solheim pledged to provide continued assistance.

Minister Pradhan also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Iceland Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir.

While addressing the LDC Ministerial meeting, Pradhan apprised on the unity and solidarity of the LDC group for the effective implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action.

Further, she attended informal meeting of the SAARC Foreign Ministers where she stressed on the improvement of intra-regional connectivity and trans-border transport infrastructure, enhancement of intra-regional trade, operationalisation of SAARC Development Fund, preparation of roadmap to South Asian Economic Union, implementation of SAARC Social Charter, and attainment of SAARC Development Goals for the benefit of the entire South Asian people. nepalnews.com ia Sep 27 07