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| Kathmandu, Wednesday January 29, 2003 Magh 15, 2059. |
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Norway warns of stopping
assistance
Will facilitate in peace process if invited
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Jan 28 : Norway today warned that it
would be forced to stop its aid to Nepal if democratic process was not resumed, beginning
with the elections to parliament and local bodies and also called for respect for human
rights by the government as well as the Maoists.
Ingrid Ofstad, Norwegian Ambassador to Nepal,
replying to a question at a talk programme today, said, "If democratic pillars like
the parliament and the local bodies remain non-functional for long, and if human rights
violations continue, then Norway might have to resort to stopping its aid to Nepal."
However, she also said that it was a difficult
decision to take since the poor would be most affected by such an action but the option
might be considered in the long run if there was no significant improvement in the current
situation.
Ofstad added that Norway and other donor
countries were continuously assessing the situation. She, however, declined to answer as
to how long would Norway wait for the restoration of democratic process. In reply to yet
another question, the ambassador revealed that her government wanted to see the resumption
of the process soon, with the possible aid cut as a threat. Admitting that it was a sort
of pressure on the government, she declined to use the term "pressure".
"Democratic and peace processes should go hand in hand," she remarked.
Speaking about insurgency here, she emphatically
pointed out that military action was no solution to the problem. "Peace process must
also be initiated. Of course, security forces must safeguard law and order."
Ambassador Ofstad declined to reveal whether her
government was involved in facilitating peace talks between the Nepal government and the
Maoists. However, she said her government might step in if there was willingness on both
the sides for that. Norway has facilitated the peace process between Sri Lanka and Tamil
separatist group, LTTE.
Revealing that Norwegian investors were willing
to invest in Nepal, she said the conditions were not appropriate right now for them to do
business here. She added that expansion of co-operation in energy sector was being
discussed by the two governments.
She pointed out that the lack of absence of any
strong civil society and people’s pressure was responsible for no solution being
found for insurgency. The ambassador added that it was still not known what is the agenda
for change to facilitate the peace process." Condemning the use of children in
conflict, she warned that such a practice would only prevent the building of trust that
was necessary for the peace process.
Ofstad suggested a comprehensive cease-fire
agreement as the first step towards peace. "This happened in the case of Sri Lanka.
It was clearly agreed upon as to what each side could and could not do." Any dispute
was handled by arbitration panel, she added.
Detailing the roots of the current crises,
Ofstad pointed out at rampant corruption and the abuse of power by the authorities.
"Also there is lack of service delivery outside the district headquarters and people
in remote areas are outside the development process."
While lauding the efforts of the Commission for
the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in its anti-corruption drive, the
ambassador said it would be prudent to target the system of corruption rather than
individuals.
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