Standing Committee leaves terrorism to member states

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KATHMANDU, Dec 31 –The Standing Committee of SAARC on Monday reviewed the SAARC Convention on Terrorism but failed to arrive at any agreement to make changes in the convention to address the growing menace of terrorism in South Asia.

There were reports that the convention on terrorism, signed in the 9th Summit in Male in 1997, would be reviewed and amended in the context of heightened terrorist activities in the region. The talks got momentum after the September 11 strikes on the US and December 13 attacks on Indian parliament. India has accused Pakistan-based two militant organisations, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba, for the attack at the behest of ISI. Pakistan has denied the charge. The two outfits, declared terrorist organisations by the US after the December 13 attacks, too have denied their involvement.

The committee, comprising Foreign Secretaries of the seven member states "agreed to undertake the issue (of terrorism) at the national level", according to Pushkar Rajbhandari, the Spokesperson for the 11th Summit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When asked whether terrorism would not be dealt with at the regional level, Rajbhandari insisted that there was unanimity on suppression of terrorism and said that taking up the issue at the national level meant it was being dealt at the regional level too.

The Foreign Secretaries also discussed the problem of narcotics drugs in the region.

In its second day of meeting, the Standing Committee discussed methods to enhance regional co-operation and discussed the Group of Eminent Persons (GEP) report on the future vision of SAARC. The committee discussed regional economic co-operation, including transition of South Asian Preferential Trade Arrangement (SAPTA) to South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). The draft treaty of SAFTA was scheduled to have been signed by 2001. However, sources at the SAARC Secretariat told The Kathmandu Post that it was unlikely. The seven leaders attending the Summit are expected to give a push to it.

In today's meeting, the SAARC Secretary General presented his report on economic co-operation. The Secretary General's report also contained recommendations on social issues, science and technology, environment, enhancing people to people contact and institutional matter.

Another topic to dominate the proceedings today was eradication of poverty from the region. The committee discussed the report of an independent South Asia Commission, formed in 1991, on poverty alleviation. Although poverty alleviation has been one of the main themes in all the past summits, sources at the Secretariat admit that SAARC has not been able to deliver on its promises.

Besides SAFTA and terrorism, poverty alleviation is one of the central themes in the three-day 11th Summit beginning January 4.

Rajbhandari informed the press that Nepal had proposed hosting the Fourth SAARC Trade Fair next year.

Meanwhile, an agreement on empowerment of women was also signed between SAARC and UNIFEM (United Nations Fund for Development of Women).

Nepali daily editor interrogated

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KATHMANDU, Dec 31 –The editor in chief and publisher of Samacharpatra daily vernacular Pushkar Lal Shrestha was today summoned by Kirti Bahadur Chand , the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu and interrogated in close doors for over two hours.

Shrestha was summoned via telephone call and interrogated about a piece of news in Monday’s paper which quoted the Maoist supreme commander as saying that the effects of Maoist movement had reduced considerably in the urban areas in recent times.

This is the first time after the declaration of state of emergency that a chief editor of a broadsheet daily has been interrogated by the local authority regarding news content in the paper. It is learnt that the interrogation was made under the directives of the Ministry of Communications.

Petition against fake certificate holders

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KATHMANDU, Dec 31 -The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed petition against five government officials including four section officers and a surveyor for allegedly submitting fake certificates in their respective offices in order to gain promotions.

According to a press statement issued by the CIAA, the commission has filed cases against Devendra Raj Kandel, Tara Prasad Dahal, Laya Prasad Khatri and Damaru Ballav Dhakal all Section Officers respectively at Dharan Municipality, Banepa Municipality, Rajbiraj Municipality and Land Revenue Office Morang. All had submitted fake certificates, which claimed that they had passed MA in first division.

Kandel and Khatri fake certificate with the name of L N Mithila University, Dharvanga and Sharma and Dhakal had their fake certificates made from Maghad University respectively.

Similarly, petition has been filed against Sanjaya Kumar Thakur a surveyor at Land Measurement Department, Bara for allegedly submitting a fake certificate of B.Sc. from Maghad University in order to participate in a training programme to get a promotion. The CIAA has filed all the petitions at Appellate Court Patan in accordance to clause 7(1) and 12 of Corruption Elimination Act-2017. All the five accused are presently in custody at the District Police Office Kathmandu.

CIAA has identified three other government officials as having submitted fake certificate and is planning to file petition against them on Tuesday. The three officials are reportedly absconding.

The press statement also adds, Hridaya Narayan Mishra, chief of General Measurement Section, Birgunj has been taken into custody for registering public land in individual’s name.

Mishra was asked to provide Rs 5,000,000 when investigation against him as per the petition filed against him in the commission was going on. He was taken into custody after he failed to provide the amount.

Meanwhile, Chief District Officer of Jhapa, who was also the coordinator of the certificate verification committee in the district, was himself found to have submitted fake certificate.

New Year brings new money for Europeans

By Prem Khanal

KATHMANDU, Dec 31 -Over 300 million Europeans scattered over 12 of the 15 European Union countries are waking up to a new currency Tuesday morning: the Euro. After three years of existing only in people’s imagination, Europeans will finally get the chance to hold and use the new currency from January 1, 2002.

The European Central Bank (ECB), which is in charge of coordinating the supplies of new Euro notes and coins, has already sent more than 70 per cent of the 15 billion banknotes and 51 billion coins with the face value of over 646 billion Euro it printed months ago in anticipation of the changeover.

Nepal too is preparing for the historic changeover. The Nepal Rastra Bank is all set to de-list the exchange rate of the currencies of six European nations that will be replaced by a single Euro. Furthermore, it has notified all the commercial banks to surrender the currencies of the nations to be replaced by Euro by January 15.

The de-listed currencies will loose its monetary value after the deadline, bank sources said. "We have completed the necessary procedures and everything will go smoothly," said Dr Govinda Bahadur Thapa, Director at the NRB. He also said that the introduction of Euro would have nominal effect on the Nepali domestic economy since a majority of the foreign reserves is in US dollars.

In Europe though, it is the beginning of a new era. Though the ECB has reiterated that it is well prepared for the grand launch with all major works completed, reactions of the general public are mixed till the last hour. Despite three years of massive preparation, people’s support for the new currency is still below the expectations. A survey by the Wall Street Journal showed that 52 per cent of Europeans prefer to continue their own currency.

Citizens of some of the powerful European countries, particularly the Germans, are unhappy to see their powerful currency - the D Mark - disappear from the market while the French and Finns have largely welcomed the new currency as an integrated European effort to challenge a swelling dollarisation. The old currencies will not vanish overnight exactly, but are slated to be phased out within 4-6 weeks by various EU nations.

After 31 years when the core idea for a single currency was first put by Pieree Werner, Former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, that Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain are joining into the single currency club. However, three nations of the European Union: Britain, Sweden and Denmark will remain out of the Euro club.

The run up to the Euro’s introduction has already led to the sharpening of the debate over Euro in Britain. Europhiles fear that the nation will be marginalized if it remains aloof of the Euro for too long while Euro skeptics are determined to oppose joining the Euro zone. Top leaders including British Prime Minister Tony Blair recently stressed on the need of joining the currency club to ensure growth and stability of the entire Europe.

Though the Euro will become an official legal tender of the 12 European nations, voices have been calling for the urgent need for the ECB to work harder to win the sliding confidence of investors. During the last three years, Euro has remarkably lost its earlier hope to emerge as an alternative to the powerful American Dollar.

The new legal tender began its life in January 1999 at an impressive exchange rate of 1.17 against a dollar, but it did not take much time to record a steady slip against the greenback, settling at around 88 cents in the third week of December.

However, some economists are still optimistic that the Euro someday will be able to compete against the dollar. They argue that Euro is grossly undervalued and expect it to perk up next year. They are hopeful that the higher short-term interest rate in the European countries, and a better economic position as compared to America, will aid in weathering a full-scale recession and attract investments.

Despite all those expectations, apprehensions do exist that the new currency would not be without problems, especially to the public. First is the widespread fear that the currency changeover will be accompanied with price rise. Second, the single currency will drag down the income of the European commercial banks, which are likely to loose handsome profits that they so far have been enjoying through the currency exchange commission of the inter-European currencies.

Besides, the cash and vending machines and the automatic teller machines through which Europeans are accustomed to conduct their daily monetary transactions need be to readjusted to make it work with new coins, which means additional investment rising to billions of Euro.

Musharraf flying to Nepal via China

KATHMANDU, Dec 31 – Pakistan President Pervej Musharraf has suddenly changed his plan to visit Nepal for the upcoming SAARC summit using Indian airspace.

According to a newsreport filed Monday by the Press Trust of India (PTI) Musharraf has changed mind and now plans to come to Kathmandu by a special Chinese plane on January 3 after a brief halt in Beijing to hold talks with Chinese leaders.

Confirming the reports on Musharraf’s decision not to go via India, Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi, Press Secretary to Pakistan President, told the news agency in Islamabad that the President’s stand is that he does not want to make use of the facility which was denied to Pakistani people.

Earlier, the agency said, Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi had reportedly requested the Indian government to permit Musharraf to fly to Nepal using the Indian airspace. India had said it would agree if such a request was forthcoming from Pakistan.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, however, arrived here through the Indian airspace, according to PTI.

Nepal to opens SAARC Summit will restore peace

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KATHMANDU, Dec 31 - Nepal hopes and believes that the leaders of the South Asian nations would be able to utilize the SAARC summit to bring peace in the region, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Arjun Jung Bahadur Singh said today.

"At a time when the world and the region is seeking peace, we believe that the South Asian leaders would be able to utilize the opportunity," Minister Singh said.

On the second day of the three-day summit, all the leaders are scheduled to be taken to hilltop resort at Nagarkot for the retreat where they will spend Saturday January 5, meeting with each other in informal sessions.

Since the escalation of tension between the two South Asian giants - India and Pakistan - the focus has turned to the Kathmandu summit where both Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf will come face to face since the two countries reached near war situation over the terrorist attacks on Indian parliament.

"Being able to hold the summit at a time when there is tension between Indian and Pakistan itself is a big achievement of the SAARC summit," State Minister Singh said. He was speaking to reporters at a programme organised by Reporters’ Club Nepal today.

Other foreign experts too agree with the fact that bringing the leaders on the same platform at a time like now is quite a feat not just for Nepal but for the whole region that has been getting the world attention for all the wrong reasons.

"Nepal’s focus should be on creating a conducive environment for the dialogue to bring back peace in the region. If Nepal is able to play an indirect role in initiating the dialogue then it would the biggest success of the SAARC summit," Former Foreign Minister Prakash Chandra Lohani said.

Lohani said at present SAARC has been pushed to a phase of uncertainty from the passive phase just few years ago. First it was the starting phase and then the investigative phase followed by the action phase which was around the mid 1990s. But the frequent change of government in Nepal and similar situations in other countries in Nepal, the process had taken a reverse leap.

With India and Pakistan holding 85 percent of the region’s population and controlling over 95 percent of the trade in the area, the situation between the two nuclear giants have mostly been the deciding factor and blamed much for the slow pace of SAARC.

"Unless there is easing of tension in the region, economic and trade union is not just possible which are the main objectives of SAARC," Lohani said.

"Despite the differences and difficulties in the region, the summit is all set to take place. At a time when there is tension in South Asia, this has provided an opportunity to defuse the situation," Royal Nepalese Ambassador to India Bhekh Bahadur Thapa said.

Foreign relation expert Jaya Raj Acharya said that taking consideration of the situation, India could have asked for postponement of the summit but it was goodwill towards Nepal that the summit is going to take place.

The Kathmandu summit which was originally scheduled for 1999 was postponed after Indian protested the military takeover of Pakistan.