Nepal builds elders' home at Benaras

Kathmandu, June 21 (RSS): On the occasion of the first death anniversary of Their Late Majesties the King and Queen, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Bal Bahadur K.C. inaugurated the Pashupatinath elders' home at Lalitaghat in Benaras, India, procured and repaired with the co-operation of HMG, the other day.

In his inaugural address, Minister K.C. said that Nepalese people never forget Their beloved Late Majesties the King and Queen, who united all Nepalese into a string.

Many Nepalese have studied and are still studying Sanskrit at Benaras, a holy place and an origin of Hindu culture, he said, adding that it has inspired a lot in propagating and preserving Hindu religion and culture.

Calling on spiritual leaders to opt for disseminating the message of peace throughout the world at a time when oriental spirituality and culture are on the brink of disappearance and violence and murder are on the rise, he said. "Nepal is the country where Gautam Buddha, a pioneer of world peace was born, it is the duty of all Nepalese to opt for ushering in peace".

He also expressed the conviction that the strong bond subsisting between Nepal and India in cultural, social and religious fields since time immemorial will remain intact in the days to come.

On the occasion, Minister K.C. presented financial assistance of Rs. 15,000 (Indian currency) to the Dharmashala Management Committee on his behalf.

Minister K.C. also distributed blankets and utensils to the elderly women taking shelter at the elders' home.

He also gave assurance that he would do his best to seek co-operation from HMG for the operation of a Vedic school there.

Professor at Benaras Hindu University Sudhashu Shekhar Shastri, provincial general secretary of Uttar Pradesh Shiva Sena Mata Karuna Nanda Bharati and officiating secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Nagendra Prasad Ghimire also expressed their views at the inaugural function chaired by Swami Omkarananda Giri.

HMG had provided Rs. 1.385 million (Indian currency) for the procurement and maintenance of the elders' home while chairman of the Dharmashala Management Committee Swami Omkarananda Giri, vice-chairman Dr. Hari Prasad Adhikari, general secretary Prof. Gopal Prasad Adhikari and others had provided financial and other assistance for the Dharmashala.

His Late Majesty King Rana Bahadur Shah had built the Lalita Ghat and the Rajrajeshwari Ghat at Kashi (Benaras) in the names of his consorts Her Late Majesty Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari and Her late Majesty Queen Rajrajeshwari Devi.

Later on, His late Majesty King Rajendra built the Samrajyashwar Mahadev temple and Choughara Dharmashala in accordance with the wish of his consort Her late Majesty Queen Samrajya Laxmi Devi during the period of 1898 to 1900 B.S.

"Barriers to Nepalese exports in India to be discussed"

Kathmandu, June 21 (RSS): President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Rabi Bhakta Shrestha says that views will be exchanged with senior ministers and officials of the Indian government, the FNCCI's Indian counterpart institutions and professional leaders regarding implementation of the renewed Nepal-India trade treaty, resolution of the problem of quarantine and the railway agreement.

The FNCCI president disclosed this today in connection with informing the public about the efforts the private sector would be putting in towards the expansion of bilateral economic relations during the state visit of His Majesty the King to India from June 23 to 28.

An FNCCI delegation will be accompanying His Majesty during the visit.

Shrestha also said that discussions will be held on the problem of taxes, levies and the anti-dumping duty imposed by the state governments of India on Nepalese goods, on seeking the recognition of Indian standards for Nepalese standards, problems relating to bilateral trade, investment and tourism promotion, development of wholesome trade, hydropower development and on problems seen in the export trade.

He also said that deliberations will be held on the long-term industrial policy, construction and possibility of new investments.

The Nepalese business delegation comprises eight eminent industrialists and businessmen including FNCCI president Shrestha.

Public holiday on June 23 and 28

Kathmandu, June 21 (RSS): His Majesty's Government has declared a public holiday throughout the Kingdom on June 23, the day on which His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Her Majesty Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah will be leaving for New Delhi on a state visit to the Republic of India and on June 28, the day Their Majesties the King and Queen will be returning home, it is learnt from the Ministry of Home today.

Govt officers installed

Kathmandu, June 21 (RSS): The meeting of the Council of Ministers today decided to install 17 various gazetted first class officers at various ministries and offices. The officers had been promoted to 17 different vacant civil service posts including that of gazetted special class secretaries as per a decision of the Council of Ministers on June 13.

According to a communique published by the Council of Ministers Secretariat today, the newly installed officials are Madhu Raman Acharya, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Purna Prasad Manandhar, Secretary, Council of Ministers Secretariat; Bhoj Raj Ghimire, Secretary, National Planning Commission Secretariat; Hem Raj Sharma Poudel, Secretary, Public Service Commission; Bal Krishna Prasai, Regional Administrator, Western Region Administration Office.

Similarly, Dev Raj Regmi has been installed in the post of executive secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat, Mrs Riddhi Baba Pradhan in the post of secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Bijaya Raj Bhattarai in the post of secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Rabindra Man Joshi in the post of regional administrator in the mid-western region administration office, Madan Prasad Aryal in the post of secretary at the Ministry of Defence and Kirti Bahadur Chand Thakuri in the post of secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

Likewise, Madhav Prasad Ghimire has been installed in the post of Comptroller General at the Comptroller General's office, Bishnu Datta Upreti in the post of regional administrator at the Far-Western Region Administration Office, Tika Datta Niraula in the post of secretary at the Ministry of Home, Krishna Prasad Sharma Bhandari in the post of regional administrator at the Central Region Administration Office, Krishna Prasad Adhikari in the post of secretary at the Ministry of Local Development and Mukunda Sharma Poudel in the post of secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications.

In like manner, His Majesty's Government, Council of Ministers, has transferred gazetted special class officer Dhrubaji Adhikari who is currently an officer in the reserve pool at the Ministry of Local Development to the post of regional administrator at The Eastern Region Administration Office.

51 persons charged on Nepal Bank irregularity

Kathmandu, June 21 (RSS): In response to a complaint filed at the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), the CIAA carried out investigations in connection with the loan of Rs 1.0862 billion issued by Nepal Bank Limited Kathmandu office to Laxmi Acharya group and firms, industries and companies concerned with the group and filed a corruption case today at the Appellate Court Lalitpur.

The complaint was lodged with the CIAA on the basis of the comprehensive inspection report 2057 prepared by a team led by chartered accountant of the Nepal Rastra Bank Rajan Singh Bhandari.

Stating that during the course of investigation of various loans taken by the Acharya group it was seen that corruption had taken place to the tune of Rs 213.9 million, the CIAA has named 51 individuals as respondents in the case.

Four of the directors on the policy and management sub-committee, Dr. Bishwambhar Pyakurel, Mukunda Prasad Acharya, Dr. Prafulla Kumar Kafle and Jharendra Shumsher JB Rana had approved a loan of Rs 10 million with ill intention to provide illegal benefit to the group, the CIAA has stated.

Sher Bahadur Thapa, Uttam Kumar Nepal, Purushottam Prasad Shrestha, Indira Gurung, Rajani Lochan Prasad Tandukar, Mahant Bahadur Maharjan, Tirtha Ram Shrestha, Shashi Kiran Shrestha, Krishna Bahadur Karanjit, Roshan Man Joshi, Bishnu Ram Shrestha, Narendra Shrestha, Purna Ram Sharma Dawadi, Lok Bahadur Shrestha and Sabal Lal Singh of Nepal Bank Limited banking office, Kathmandu, Prayag Raj Ranjit, Shailendra Kumar Shakya, Purushottam Malla, Suresh Kumar Neupanay, of Nepal Bank Limited head office, and Pradeep Chapagai and Padma Kumar Pradhan of Nepal Bank Limited Birtamod branch were involved in various acts of floating loan and had worked with ill-intention, the CIAA has alleged.

During the course of investigation, the CIAA conducted search in the house of Sher Bahadur Thapa and seized various diaries. The diaries stated that Thapa drawing a monthly salary and allowances of Rs 17 thousand had given loan and invested over Rs 15 million to various persons, purchased construction materials worth 4.5 million for his house, and he was unable to state a credible source of income and therefore the CIAA has produced this to the court as evidence.

The diaries also mentioned that he had given personal loans to Satya Raj Bhandari, Durga Dutta Pandey and Chandra Singh Bhandari for whom he had approved bank loans while he had also given financial assistance to the tune of Rs 800 thousand.

Likewise, the CIAA has also alleged that engineer Keshav Lal Shrestha who over valuated asset for collateral, Narendra Raj Bhattarai, S. P. Shrestha, Teknath Chapagai and economist Hari Bansha Jha had also indulged in corruption.

Apart from Laxmi Prasad Acharya, the CIAA has also stated that Achyut Prasad Rijal, Chirajivi Acharya, Apchi grounder Chandan, Padmawvati Chandan, Pulikan Ravindran, Bharat Raj Koirala, Rudra Prasad Bhattarai, Moti Upreti, and Krishna Prasad Luitel had opened various firms, and prepared forged documents for the sake of acquiring loans and after receiving these they did not do any business and therefore they had indulged in corruption.

Likewise, Ram Prasad Pandey, Mala Khadka and Chumbak Bahadur Budhathoki had their land over-valuated exorbitantly, received loans against that as collateral, it has been alleged.

Also, the CIAA has demanded the mobile and immobile assets of Mrs Saraswati Thapa, wife of Sher Bahadur Thapa, Kalika Khadka-Acharya wife of Ambar Kumar Khadka, and Bhakti Upreti wife of Moti Upreti be seized.

Likewise, apart from Nepal Bank Limited, Laxmi Prasad Acharya had taken loans from bank of Kathmandu (about Rs 23.8 million), Nepal Bangladesh Bank (about Rs 120 million), Himalaya Bank (Rs 2.7 million) and Lalitpur Finance (Rs 1.1 million) and not paid back the loans, the CIAA found out during the course of investigations.

The corruption case concerned with Bishwapriya Malla, Mahendra Prasad Gartaula and Mohan Sahani concerned with Nepal Bank Limited which the CIAA has called financial terrorism has already been filed at the Appellate Court, Patan, the CIAA has stated.

NC party of poor, downtrodden, says Deuba

Kathmandu, June 21 (RSS): Prime Minister and President of the Nepali Congress (NC) Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the forthcoming election is a referendum between terrorism and peace and terrorism will be defeated and peace will prevail.

He was speaking while interacting with NC leaders and activists of the Gandaki, Lumbini, Rapti and Bheri zones here today.

Prime Minister Deuba said that at a time when the government was working hard to defeat the terrorists and ensure law and order in the country, it was ironical that former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the CPN-UML also created hurdles in the unity effort of the government thereby only helping the terrorists.

Stating that his commitment was to make a democratic socialist party as visualised by popular leader B. P. Koirala, Prime Minister Deuba said the Nepali Congress was now a party of the poor, downtrodden, farmers and backward classes.

Also present on the occasion were NC vice-president Chiranjivi Wagle and NC central members Homnath Dahal, Amar Kaini, Gopal Man Shrestha, Krishna Bahadur Gurung, Duryodhan Singh Chaudhari and Bheem Kumari Budhamagar.

SC hears contentions on House revival petition

Kathmandu, June 21 (RSS): Hearing on the writ petitions against the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the recommendation for the same stating that the move was against the law, anti-constitutional and Mala fide continued at the special bench of the Supreme Court today.

In today's hearing, Nawaraj Subedi, Sindhunath Pyakurel and Chandeshwar Shrestha took part on behalf of one of the writ petitioners the United People's Front while Dhruba Koirala took part on his own behalf.

In course of the pleadings, advocate and outgoing MP Subedi alleged that the Prime Minister has failed to fulfil his responsibilities towards the House of Representatives by not getting his proposal objectively tested in the Lower House of Parliament when the date for the Parliament session had already been set, the motion to extend the term of the state of emergency had been registered and Parliament had readied itself for the session.

He said it was clear from the Prime Minister's address to the nation that he recommended the dissolution of the House of Representatives thinking that the directive by the Nepali Congress regarding not extending the term of the state of emergency was inappropriate.

A party's decision cannot take the status of a law, this is utterly unconstitutional, Subedi pointed out.

He said it is unconstitutional to dissolve the House of Representatives, a body that is responsible to maintain check and balance regarding the work of the government when the fundamental rights of the people remain suspended and expressed the view that rather than going for the dissolution of the House, the Prime Minister should have given his resignation.

Former MP and senior advocate Pyakurel contended that the House of Representatives cannot be dissolved without getting the approval for the same from the House of Representatives.

He said the Constitution clearly states that the National Assembly is authorised to do the functions of the House of Representatives when the latter is non-existent.

The Prime Minister has again extended the term of the state of emergency and dissolved the House of Representatives with the motive of clinging to power, he charged, adding that the state of emergency cannot be imposed again without the House of Representatives approving the same.

Advocate Shrestha said that the Prime Minister should have used his right to issue a whip in Parliamentary party to get the government's proposal through. He accused the government of by-passing the provision of taking the proposal on extending the state of emergency by further 6 months to the National Assembly.

Writ petitioner Koirala charged the government of trespassing all the constitutional provisions in declaring the state of emergency and in dissolving the House of Representatives.

The next hearings on the writ petitions will take place on June 24.

Devendra Raj Nepali, Mithilesh Kumar Sinha, Dr Tara Prasad Sapkota and Yuba Raj Pandey will be pleading on behalf of writ petitioner Koirala in the next hearings, it is learnt.

'Visit to further cement Nepal-India ties'

Kathmandu, June 21 (RSS): Charge d'Affaires at the Embassy of India Ashok Kumar has said that a warm welcome awaits Their Majesties the King and Queen when they pay a state visit to India from June 23 to 28.

In an interview to RSS reporter Sharachchandra Bhandary, Kumar said the people and government of India are very happy that this visit will contribute to further cementing friendly relations, and they attach great importance to it.

Further highlighting the significance of the visit, he said India Nepal relations have a tradition of high level visits. As has been commented upon by many Nepali experts and observers, the fact that the visit of His Majesty to India is his first abroad after accession to the throne is significant. We are happy that he has chosen to first visit India. His Majesty will have interactions with our senior leaders and the visit would increase goodwill between our two countries and strengthen cooperation.

Asked why some plans and programmes still remain unimplemented, he said India and Nepal have a wide range of projects and programmes under the aegis of bilateral economic cooperations. At any point in time there will be projects under consideration and programmes under implementation. Mega projects among these do take time to conceptualise and implement because of the process of detailed planning and long gestation priods. However, our efforts have always been, and will continue to be to undertake mutually agreed projects in Nepal and the important thing is for India and Nepal to joinly work out the project concepts and modalities for their implementation keeping in view the objective of maximising the benefits from these projects to the peoples of the two countries.

Asked what should be done to contain terrorism and if there was any possibility to assist Nepal, he said India fully supports the efforts of the government of Nepal in restoring peace and order in the country. There is close cooperation between the two governments and much of the assistance sought by the government of Nepal in this context has either been delivered or is being delivered. The cooperation in itself is an ongoing process and India stands firmly with Nepal in its endeavour to effectively deal with elements that are inimical to peace and stability and progress and prosperity of the country.

Asked about allegations that some top Maoist leaders have been provided shelter in India, he said India has deployed special force along the India Nepal border to have a better management of our long and open border. After His Majesty's Government provided photographs of wanted Maoist terrorists these have been circulated and displayed in India. Some Maoists who were found to have entered India for receiving treatment were handed over to the Nepalese authorities.

Queried about any new programmes to assist Nepal in her development endeavours, he said several programmes are under considerations. A number of projects were mentioned in the joint statement issed on the conclusion of the visit to India of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. We are discussing the setting up of the institute of information technology, a trauma centre at Bir Hospital, etc. India and Nepal have already signed an agreement on setting up an optical fibre cable network, another very important project being discussed with His Majesty's Government is the improvement of infrastructure at border crossing points. This will contribute significanly to improving the efficiency of moving goods and people across the border.

About the detailed project report of the Pancheshwar project which has not been completed yet, he said the DPR is almost ready. There are a few important issues on which the two sides are currently engaged in constructive discussion. Pancheshwar is a Mega project in the real sense of the term. As and when it comes onstream it will not only provide significant amount of clean electricity to India but would also change the face of the economy of western Nepal. We do hope that with the pragmatic and constructive approach adopted by both sides, this project, which would bring enormous benefits to the peoples of the two countries, would go on stream sooner than later.

Asked how long it will take to settle issues including the Indo Nepal Railway, changing Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway into broad gauge and operation of inland container depot (ICD), he said we have to ask if the traffic justifies the heavy investment in the conversion. Earlier India had extended the broad gauge railway line from Raxual to Birgunj, India and Nepal are currently discussing to finalise the operationalisation of the railway link. It should be possible to arrive at a mutual understanding on the technical and operational issues.

Asked what should be done to regulate the India Nepal border and check terrorist and criminal activities taking place along the border, he said it will be a mistake to think that the problems of cross border terrorism or cross border criminal activities arise because of open borders. We have borders with other neighbours which are not open but still the problem of cross border terrorism persists. India and Nepal have a joint committee to look into the issues of border management. In the final analysis, there is no escape from greater exchange of intelligence between authorities responsible for border patrolling management. To facilitate the cooperation between the concerned authorities of the two countries, conclusion of an agreement on mutual legal assistance would be very helpful. I hope that we can provide the legal framework to the security agencies of the two countries to efficiently and successfully check terrorist and criminal activities.

Over 2,000 Nepalese win DV-2003 slot

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 21: More than two thousand Nepalese have won American Diversity Visa for the year 2003, according to the office of the U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesperson.

The Kentucky Consular Centre in Williamsburg, which had conducted the lottery programme, registered and notified the winners of the DV-2003 diversity lottery. This is stated in a press release posted on the net by the U.S. State Department on June 18.

"Applicants registered for the DV-2003 programme were selected at random from the approximately 6.2 million qualified entries received during the one-month application period that ran from Noon October 1, 2001 through Noon on October 31, 2001," the release says.

Acoording to the U.S. Department of State, additional 2.5 million applications were either received outside of the mail-in period or were disqualified for failing to follow directions properly. The visas have been apportioned among six geographic regions with a maximum of seven per cent available to persons born in any single country.

The diversity lottery was conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States, the release says.

According to the release, the dates for the mail-in period for the DV-2004 lottery are scheduled from, Monday noon October 7, 2002 until Wednesday noon November 6,

Bangaladesh has won the largest number of DV-2003 lottery from Asia with 4,935 slots followed by Nepal's 2,320.

Ghana has won largest number of visa from Africa. It has won 6,333 slots followed by Nigeria with 5,989, and Ethiopia with 5,562. Ukrain stands first in Europe by winning 4,035 slots. Bahamas is the only country in North America to have won the DV-2003 lottery.

Fiji has won largest number of visa from the Oceania region with 524 slots. Likewise, from South America, Central America and the Caribbean region, Peru has won the largest number -1,063 visas.

Natives of Canada, mainland China (excluding Hong Kong S.A.R., and Taiwan), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam were not eligible to participate in DV-2003 programme.

Business bench on anvil

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 21:Legal experts and corporate members today said efficient judiciary was a precondition to promote corporate governance and ensure national development.

"Corporate sector is the backbone of market economy and corporate governance the prerequisite for good governance in a country," Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyay told a colloquium on 'The Role of Judiciary and Legal Institutions in Corporate Governance' here this morning. "The judiciary has a vital role to play to promote corporate governance."

He said the judiciary could play a proactive role to maintain a competitive fiscal system by protecting economic and social rights of the citizens and organisations.

Upadhyay said the state should provide maximum autonomy to the corporate sector to let it go ahead on the basis of quality and competition. "The corporate sector needs to be self-disciplined and move ahead with the principles of commercial etiquette and healthy competition led by the motive of the overall development of the society and the state."

He said transparency and accountability were indispensable for corporate governance, adding free flow of reliable information was equally important.

He stressed on training for professionals in the field of judiciary to enhance their knowledge about corporate governance. Upadhyay also spoke on the need to reform laws to expedite corporate governance.

He informed that the Supreme Court was mulling about beginning a separate business bench in the near future for quick resolution of the disputes in this sector.

National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Dr. Narayan Khadka said corporate governance was a crucial issue in the globalised context and emphasised on judicial reform to achieve better results in this sector.

"We are now moving away from family dominated structure to corporate structure," said Khadka. "In this situation, we, should be able to give continuity to this development and safeguard the interests of all the stakeholders on the other."

"The development of the private business sector is being held back by an incomplete commercial law code, weak enforcement of existing statues, and unfamiliarity with many features of financial and business laws," Law and Justice Secretary Uday Nepali said. "Promotion of financial and corporate governance necessitates improving the legal and regulatory framework."

Nepali said the introductoin of new law alone would not exert much impact in practice, adding this could happen only by improving the quality and capacity of the legal and judicial profession.

He stressed on the need to improve the efficiency of the present dispute resolution system for commercial matters to expedite development of both the private and public sector. "This has to be accompanied by a broadening of skills and knowledge of judges and lawyers."

He hoped the National Judicial Academy to be established with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) would create desired results in this direction.

"We believe strongly that financial sector reform and corporate governance advances need to be, and are, a centrepiece of Nepal's development strategies," ADB Country Director Richard Vokes said. He said the adoption of international accounting and auditing standards was fndamental to corporate governance.

FNCCI President Rabi Bhakta Shrestha said corporate governance would remain a far cry in absence of efficient legal system.

He said the judiciary should develop competence to know the need of the corporate world and the judges and lawyers should be well versed in the global commercial trends and trade and commercial laws.

The day-long colloquium was organised jointly by the Centre for Development and Governance and Focal Point for Financial Sector Reform.

UK meet pledges to defeat Maoist terror

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 21:The United Kingdom hosted an International Conference on June 19 and 20 to look at the Maoist terrorist crisis in Nepal and the country's development needs, a press release of the British Embassy said here today.

"A wide-range of international partners and international agencies met in London for the discussions which focussed on the current conflict in Nepal, the resultant economic and fiscal crisis and the response of the Nepalese government and international community," the press statement read.

"This was an important conference," the press release quoted Britain's International Development Secretary Clare Short as saying. "Nepal is in crisis, and we fully support the struggle against the Maoist insurgency. But there is also an urgent need to address the underlying issues of corruption, discrimination and weak governance that have allowed the crisis to develop."

"Radical reform is needed to prioritise delivery of services to poor people. It is important that developmental and military assistance packages are considered as part of an overall framework of support for the country. This conference has showed that there is wide international support from the friends of Nepal for a better future for the country," Short was further quoted as saying.

"Maoist terrorists are conducting a savage campaign of intimidation in Nepal to further their own political aims," the press statement quoted British Office Minister Mike O'Brien as saying. "The UK has long been a friend of Nepal. The UK and the international community are committed in our support for the government of Nepal. That is why the UK has put together such a comprehensive package of developmental and military assistance totaling more than 30 million Pound Sterling for this financial year. It is imperative that we help the government of Nepal in its struggle against terrorism. We cannot allow the terrorists to win. Nepal must not be allowed to become a failed State."

The UK development assistance for Nepal stands at 27 million Pound Sterling for this financial year (up from 20 million Pound Sterling on the proceeding year), according to the press statement. "On top of this the UK has released a further package of 6.7 million Pound Sterling which will cover projects aimed at short-term development and reinforcing Nepal's development, military and police capacity."

The conference chairman, according to the press statement, concluded that the meeting condemned terrorism and expressed support for the Government of Nepal's efforts to combat Maoist violence. He also noted that the conflict posed a threat to regional stability and the human rights of the people of Nepal and discussed possible assistance to a future peace process.

The meeting noted the need for an integrated approach to security, reform and development and stressed the urgent need to tackle poverty, exclusion, poor governance, discrimination, corruption, livelihoods and human rights. It urged strong political leadership in support of real reform and inclusive decision-making and donor assistance to be targeted at the poorest areas and to help implement governance reform.

Military assistance should be considered as part of the comprehensive approach to resolution of the conflict, the meeting noted. It also noted the importance of the forthcoming elections and ensuring they were free and fair.

The countries represented in the conference were Nepal, the UK, USA, India, China, Russia, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark and Australia, according to the press statement. The UNDP, UNDPA and the World Bank had also attended the meeting, it added.