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Kathmandu Friday August 04, 2000 Sharawan 20, 2057.
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Foreign Secretaries told to review all 1950
Treaty issues India silent on Kalapani, refugees
From Yubaraj Ghimire
New Delhi, Aug 3 - Nepal and India will have a joint Foreign Minister level
body to ensure that the 50-year-old relations become more effective and future-oriented
and that it reflects mutual aspirations of the people of both sides. Although such a
committee has existed on paper over a period of time, it has not met even once during the
past seven years. The joint body is now likely to meet regularly. This was announced in a
joint communique released after Prime Minister G P Koirala left for India's southern
cities-Hyderabad and Puttaparthy on the second leg of his 7-day good-will visit to India.
There are about three dozens joint committees involving Nepal and India and it is hoped
that activation of the ministerial level body will systematise all of them and might even
guide in their functioning. However, the uphill task of overall review of Nepal India
Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 has been assigned to foreign secretaries Narayan
Sumsher Thapa of Nepal and Lalit Mansingh of India. The two secretaries will have their
first meeting in six months time and discuss comprehensively the pros and cons of the
review and status of exchange of letters and other bilateral agreements made within the
framework of the 1950 Treaty. The two secretaries have been asked to concentrate on this
specific issue. An official from Nepal side explained that this is not an indication of
the end of bilateralism, but to continue with that era.
Nepal assured India that it had no intention following its territory to be
used against India by any third country, but insisted that Nepal-India relations should
not be viewed only through the 'Pak-ISI spectrum'. The home secretaries of both countries
have been asked to monitor and control terrorist activities from each others' soil against
the other side with joint involvement of law enforcing authorities. Koirala, before his
departure to Hyderabad, issued a statement condemning killing of more than 100 people in
Kashmir which India has blamed on Pakistani intelligence service, ISI. Koirala's statement
was designed to reassure Nepal's commitment against terrorism any where and from any side.
Other issue which dominated the bilateral discussions-both at political and
the bureaucratic level was how best Nepal's water resources could be used to fulfill
growing demand of power. Nepal insisted for a review of implementation of past agreement.
Both sides implementation aspect should be more effective. The secretaries of both sides
will meet at least once in six months to review joint projects. Nepal has acknowledged
with appreciation the assurance given by India following construction of the Laxmanpur
barrage and the damage it might cause to Nepalese villages in Banke district. Nepal had
insisted that India should initiate measures to mitigate the threat of inundation and
asked for a joint monitoring mechanism.
The communique was silent on Nepal's suggestion that India intervene to
facilitate return of Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal for the past eight years back
home. In fact, India continued with its stance that it wanted to play no role leaving the
matter for two sides to settle. The other contentious issue left for the posterity
includes Kalapani border dispute as it will be part of the study of the joint technical
border committee.
The committee will complete its field work latest by 2002 and prepare for
arranging permanent borders in place of the existing riverine border a year later. The
matter will be referred to the governments on both sides if the committee is divided.
India has agreed to setup an institute of excellence in Nepal to promote
science and technology on the pattern of Indian Institute of Technology. Industrial bodies
on both sides have welcomed India's decision to wave four percent customs duty on Nepalese
goods in the Indian market and Nepal's announcement to facilitate import of Indian
automobiles.
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