NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

A Meeting Chamber

Two day interaction between senior and junior lawyers helped to develop a new approach

By KESHAB POUDEL in Dharan

Like all other professions, political liberalization in the country opened up vast opportunities in legal field. But the challenges in front of lawyers are enormous.

This was what the participants of the two-day seminar on legal profession discussed in Dharan - a beautiful town 400 kilometer east of capital Kathmandu.

Organized by International Commission of Jurists\Nepal section (ICJ\Nepal), the two-day program highlighted various complications in legal profession as well as its challenges.

"Legal profession is an independent one but it requires genuine commitments and hard work," said senior advocate Ganesh Raj Sharma, addressing the new lawyers of eastern region. "As a lawyer, it is their duty to follow the spirit of rule of law. It is against the spirit of lawyers to participate in torch marches and behave like trade unionists."

Despite many limitations and constraints, lawyers in eastern region have difficulty in overcoming challenges. "Lawyers should show courage and patience to do something in their profession," said Supreme Court Justice Laxman Prasad Aryal.

This is the first kind of its program organized to interact between new lawyers, justices and senior advocates. "The lawyers and justices have their own responsibilities to maintain the dignity of judiciary," said Supreme Court Justice Kedarnath Upadhyaya.

During the seminar, justice Upadhyaya and President of Nepal Bar Association Harihar Dahal presented papers. In his paper on the challenges of Bar and Bench, Dahal stressed the need to maintain the rule of law.

Senior advocate Madhu Shamra and advocate Anup Raj Sharma also highlighted the importance of Judiciary in the program.

As rule of law is basic to democracy, the interaction between senior and junior lawyer could be helpful for the development of judiciary in the country.

COOK'S VISIT
Strengthening Ties

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook's visit will strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries

By KESHAB POUDEL

The visit of British Foreign Secretary to Nepal this week will open new chapter in the centuries long relationship between the two countries.

Britian remains a major development partner for Nepal and in recent years the trade relation between the two countries is also taking a new turn. Cook's visit, many see, will help the Nepal-Britian relations and identify fresh areas of cooperation.

As Nepal is facing a crucial time in its history, high level visit by British Foreign Secretary is expected to underline the relations between the two age-old partners.

During his visit, Cook will call on Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and leader of the main opposition party in the House of Representatives Madhav Kumar Nepal.

Cook is visiting the country after the British government recently increased pensions of Gurkha soldiers, which had a very significant impact on Nepalese economy.

"Britain and Nepal have a long-standing relationship. For more than a century Britian was Nepal's only international partner, but today, through globalization, we are members of a wider international community," said British Foreign Secretary Cook, in an exclusive interview with SPOTLIGHT (see Page 22-23).

Cook is coming to Nepal at the invitation of Nepalese Foreign Minister when Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat was the boss at Shital Niwas.

Cook will arrive on April 20 and leave on April 21. Cook's visit to Nepal follows his visit to India and Thailand. According to the British Foreign Office, Cook would stress the need for Nepal to continue its trend of moving from an aid-dependent to a thriving, business-friendly nation.

He will discuss the country's Maoist insurgency with political leaders. He will also present a medal to Gurkha Second Warrant Officer Lal Bahadur Sahi, who served with the British forces in Kosovo.

In a historic visit by the British Foreign Secretary, Cook's short stay in Nepal could prove beneficial for strengthening the existing cordial relations and widening the trade ties between the two countries.