Nepal has to do more homework before entering WTO: Experts

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 21: If the WTO membership is a compulsion for a least developed country (LDC) like Nepal, various facets of opportunities and challenges have to be assessed and the cost of risk should be minimised before entering into the world trade regime. Besides, areas of comparative advantages should be identified for developing competitive strength, said academics, policy makers and economists here today.

Dwelling upon various aspects of WTO membership at a national level seminar on 'Implication of WTO membership for Nepal,' after the fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, they were of the view that a LDC like Nepal should be able to take more concessions through negotiation and dialogue. Becoming WTO (World Trade Organisation) member is not a big deal, but it should be able to reap as much benefit as it can, they noted. Nepal cannot remain aloof from the global practice and thus it should try to develop its own product and services in which it has comparative advantages, they asserted.

Speaking about WTO membership for Nepal, they strongly pointed out the need for formation and amendment of necessary laws that are related with export and import of goods and services. Experts on the occasion also raised the issue of intellectual property rights, agricultural products and quarantine of agricultural products. Besides, developing technical capabilities, negotiation skills at par with other developing and least developed countries were also stressed.

Addressing the programme Assistant Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Prakash Gurung expressed full commitment on behalf of His Majesty's Government for enhancing competitive strength in industries, agriculture and trade. Assistant Minister Gurung also underlined the need to enhance productivity to reap more benefit from the free trade regime.

Prachand Man Shrestha, Director at WTO Division at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply while speaking about development of Nepal's accession process in the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, said that a lot of progress had been made for LDCs. Nepal as a LDC can take much benefit by relaxations given to the LDCs. Our priority is to protect our domestic interest and enhance our competitive strength which has to start with massive awareness with the country, Shrestha said adding that Nepal cannot remain isolated with global economic mainstream especially in the context of all the neighbours remaining with the WTO. Hence the government is focusing on 'accession' terms.

To reap benefits of trade liberalisation based on the WTO–regime we should have a clear vision for our future development strategy particularly focusing on overcoming supply bottlenecks, enhancing institutional capability and translating available opportunities into human advancements, said Alessandra Tisot, Resident Representative of UNDP. In the Post-Doha-Meet Discussion Rajendra Kumar Khetan, Second Vice President of FNCCI stressed that the government and private sector should develop a harmonious relations for maximization of benefits from the WTO. He also underlined the need to develop institutional capacity in both private and the government sectors. 'We still need a lot of homework,' he added.

Former Commerce Secretary and Director of Center for Public Policy Dialogue (CPPD) Mohan Dev Pant also stressed the need for building institutional capacity and competitive strength to reap maximum benefit out of free trade regime. Except few cases, Nepal would not have any problem even after accession into the WTO since it has not exercised any quantitative restriction.

Bishwo Nath Sapkota, President of the CPPD also spoke about the significance of the WTO membership for Nepal.

'Significance of cease-fire ends'

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 21: Maoist leader Prachanda has said that his party did not believe that a positive political solution would be achieved through talks and that the significance of the 'ceasefire' was over.

In a press statement issued late this evening, the President of the underground CPN-Maoist said that his party has retained its commitment for republic and that it would continue its struggle for a republican system of government in the country. However, he said he has not closed the door for talks completely.

This backtrack has come only days after the third round of talks with the government where the Maoists had dropped their main political demand of republican state. Instead they had gone for a constituent assembly.

Prachanda, in the statement, also said that their demand for the constituent assembly was nothing but to achieve a republican constitution.

In the statement Prachanda accused those dissenting and contradicting against constituent assembly for obstructing the atmosphere of talks.

All the other political parties dubbed the Maoists demand for constituent assembly as 'unnecessary' and 'irrevalent'.

Prachanda's Statement

Commenting on the latest Maoist move, spokesman of the CPN-UML, the main opposition party in the parliament, Pradeep Nepal said that the press statement itself was confusing and misleading. Nepal said, "The Maoists are still trying to continue the political instability in the country by not being clear about their political move."

Meanwhile, he demanded the Maoists to make clear their motives to the people.

However, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, one of the facilitators in the talks, said Prachanda has not made clear the party's commitment towards the safelanding of the 6-year-long insurgency, which has taken a toll of almost 2,000 people.

"The time has not yet come to say that the talks have fallen apart," he said. But he still hoped that the next round of talks would take place.

After the government proposed the stoppage of all actions against the Maoists, the Maoists had also reciprocated saying that they would also halt all their actions. Since the talks began, the government has been doing everything possible to facilitate the finding of a peaceful solution to the Maoist issue.

The government stopped all its actions against the Maoists, released dozens Maoists cadres, including several of its top cadres. Recently, the government also withdrew the Public Security Regulations. However, the Maoists have been accused of continuing with their violence and terror against the common people. Now, only after three-and-a half-months of the stoppage of the actions and three rounds of talks, the Maoists have come back to square one.

Kathmandu Karnival during next Dashain

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 21: Nepal cashed in on the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London earlier this month by declaring it would host the Kathmandu Karnival Extravaganza, a tourism bonanza, during the Dashain Festival (October 12-15) next year, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) stated here today.

"Elaborate rituals, colorful parades, home visits, grand feasts, kite flying and swings will be the highlights of the Karnival which is being organized for tourists visiting Nepal during Dashain," the board further said.

The Nepalese travel trade expanded its business links and broadened its horizon by participating in the WTM, the second largest travel trade fair in the world, from November 12-15 this month in London, according to NTB.

"The national travel trade had the opportunity of strengthening, expanding, and developing new business links with the UK-based and other outbound operators and travel trade people at the WTM," the board said in its press release. "The board also published a one-page advertisement on World Travel Mart Buyer’s Guide and Diary in order to gain extra mileage during and after WTM."

More than one dozen private companies’ delegation led by NTB took part in the mart that drew around 550 exhibitors comprising of around nearly 4,500 companies from 137 countries. "The participants were travel-trade operators, hotels, national tourism organisations, travel-trade publications, among others," NTB stated.

Minister of State for the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sarbadhan Rai, Royal Nepalese Ambassador to the UK Singha Bahadur Basnet and other Embassy and Tourism Ministry officials participated in the fair, according to the board. "Various promotional materials such as CD-ROM, guidebook, travel manual, booklets on Pokhara, Special Interest Tours, and different gifts were distributed to visitors at the Nepal stand. Trade visitors and the press were given special information kits."

The United Kingdom is the fourth largest market for the Nepalese tourism business. The country received around 40,000 visitors from the UK last year. The biggest market, in terms of visitors’ number, of the national travel trade is India that generates almost 30 per cent of the total inbound tourists.

The other prime markets include the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, among others. Tourist arrival figure has been dwindling in recent times. The number went down by more than 10 per cent last year compared to the record of 1999.

Worse yet, the last ten months have recorded a decrease of 14 per cent while last October alone saw the decline of more than 30 per cent compared to the same time last year.

No use of child soldier from Feb 12

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 21: An international treaty banning the use of child soldiers will come into effect in 2002, February 12, according to a United Nations press release issued recently.

A total of 10 countries have already ratified the treaty and New Zealand has become the tenth nation to ratify it.

New Zealand’s foreign minister Phil. Goff deposed his country’s instruments of ratification for the optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict to the 1990 Convention on the Rights of Children on November 12. Goff was currently in New York for the ongoing UN Assembly weeklong general debate that is expected to end on Friday. Human Rights Watch has hailed New Zealand’s ratification as a huge advance in the effort to abolish the use of children as soldiers.

Nine countries, which have ratified the treaty, are Canada, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Andorra, Panama, Iceland, Vietnam, Holy See and The Democratic Republic of Congo. To date, 87 countries including Nepal have signed the protocol.

"These ten nations have shown real leadership," said Jo Becker, director of Children \’s Right Advocacy for Human Rights Watch.

In 2000 May 25, the UN General Assembly had adopted a resolution to prohibit the participation of children under the age of 18 in armed conflict and their forced recruitment or conscription.

An estimated 300,000 child soldiers are currently fighting in armed conflicts in approximately 40 countries, stated the UN press release.

The countries that are mostly affected by the use of the child soldiers include Angola, Colombia, the Democratic Republic Congo, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. According to some recent reports, Taliban and Northern Alliance have recruited children as soldiers in Afghanistan where the US led air strikes and troops are attacking the Taliban forces.

'Govt gets help for talks from political parties'
PM inaugurates FNGOs meeting

Lalitpur, Nov. 21 (RSS):  Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the non-governmental organisations should not only work for development of the social sector but work for the overall development of the country.

Inaugurating the 10th anniversary of the Federation of Non Governmental Organizations (FNGOs) and 8th FNGOs general meeting here today, Prime Minister Deuba lauded the works being carried out for the uplift of the women, children and ethnic communities in the country.

Stating that the government would leave no stone unturned to provide the Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) peace and security, Mr Deuba said that NGOs should work for the economic development of the country.

Prime Minister Deuba said that all the political parties had been extending cooperation to the government in resolving the Maoist problem through talks.

Expressing anguish over the continuing incidents of violence, looting, kidnapping and extortions being carried out in the name of the Maoists despite the public statement by Maoist leader Prachanda that his party had no policy of attacking anyone, Mr Deuba said that it has become necessary to find out whether the persons involved in such activities are Maoists or not. The time has come to expose the people involved in such wrong activities under the pretext of being Maoists, he added.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Deuba gave away letters of commendation to various persons making remarkable contributions since the establishment of the FNGOs.

Leader of the main opposition and CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said that the NGOs should carry out works by being inspired with a sense of social service.

Mr Nepal said, that the people wish to know about the rationality of the NGOs.

The CPN-UML general secretary said that the government has to be active in providing equal opportunities to all and the civil society should extend cooperation to the government in this task.

At the function chaired by FNGOs president Gauri Pradhan, former speaker Daman Nath Dhungana, member-secretary of the Social Welfare Council Dr. Tika Pokharel and other speakers threw light on the importance of NGOs.