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| Kathmandu, Wednesday May 08, 2002 Baishakh 25, 2059. |
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Deuba
secures US support
By Akhilesh
Upadhyay
NEW YORK, May 7 : Prime
Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday said that he secured a strong
commitment of support for Nepal’s fight against terrorism from the United States
during his meeting with President George W. Bush at White House.
"I am very glad, I
am very happy, President Bush is very much supportive to our campaign against terrorism
and he has assured us he will help in many ways," Deuba told reporters at White House
after the meeting.
Speaking to The
Kathmandu Post just hours before the talks Deuba had said that he and all of Nepal is
honoured by the gesture of President Bush and America. "The world’s only
superpower has been at the forefront in the current fight against terrorism, building a
global coalition against terrorism. We have also suffered from terror campaigns in our
country."
Although, the details
of the talks have not yet been available the talks most likely focused on the current
situation in Nepal and how United States can support the country, as said by a State
Department official earlier. He said the United States will extend assistance on both
military and economic fronts, adding that employment generation and fight against poverty
remain crucial in tackling the rural insurgency.
Prime Minister Deuba
will also hold talks with Secretary of Sate Colin Powell, and National Security Advisor
Condoleeza Rice.
In his visit to
Kathmandu in January, Powell promised to look into Nepal’s growing requirement for
military assistance to combat the six-year insurgency, which has already claimed thousands
of lives.
Other than his meeting
with the President, and some key officials in the Bush administration, a major highlight
of the Prime Minister’s visit will be his speech tomorrow on "War on Terrorism:
Nepal’s Perspective" at Widrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
The State Department
official refused to be drawn into a recent controversy, which attributes US military
officials as having suggested that Nepal needs to increase the strength of its army to
200,000 from its current position of 40,000.
The official said US is
still awaiting an assessment report from the military team that recently made an
inspection tour of Nepal, and any comments on Nepal’s military needs now would be
premature.
The Specific Command
Office based in Hawaii, which has been entrusted the job of assessing Nepal’s
military needs, was not available for comments yesterday.
In a detailed report
last month on the Maoist insurgency, Jane’s Defense Weekly, the world’s leading
military magazine, said the Maoists in all probability miscalculated in attacking the army
last November. The report adds that the Royal Nepal Army has been engaged in development
programmes for some time now, and its ISDP efforts, which put development and security
together to combat the insurgency, has been successful, a fact underscored by Maoist
demands to withdraw that programme.
But the report also
indicates that the army has been stretched in its fight against the guerrillas.
Asked to explain
whether Washington regards Prime Minister Deuba’s current visit official, or private,
he said, "The important thing is that he is meeting President Bush whatever label you
put to it."
Analysts here say the
very fact that the United States President wants to meet Nepal’s Prime Minister now
speaks volumes about the importance the world’s only super power accords to
Nepal’s current fight against the insurgents.
Since Sept 11, the
fight against global terrorism has remained the most outstanding feature of the US foreign
policy, a measure that has received a thumping endorsement from the American public as has
been evident in a number of recent opinion polls.
Washington is not using
a blanket term terrorist against Nepal’s Maoists, but regards that they have been
involved in terrorist attacks, the State Department official said. "We have said,
they should lay down their arms", and come to a political settlement within
Nepal’s democratic constitution, he said.
Prime Minster Deuba
today also meets Gabbi Visquez, Director of Peace Corps, Kenneth Pollock, president of
National Democratic Institute, Mark Silzanger, former US Congressman, and business
leaders.
Arjoo Deuba, Prime
Minister’s wife, is scheduled to speak on issues related to women on children at Asia
Foundation today.
The Deubas leave later
tomorrow for New York, where the Prime Minister will attend UN Special Session for
Children slated for May 8-10. More than 70 heads of state and government, and child
delegates, are scheduled to arrive for the first UN General Assembly session devoted
entirely to issued related to children.
Investments on health
and education and protection for children are the focus of the special session, which will
review the targets set by the first Children Summit in 1990.
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