NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

A Forum for All

Prime Minister Koirala raises Nepal's concern at the millennium summit. Will there be any follow up?

By BHAGIRATH YOGI

At the fag end of his political career, Koirala ignored `fluid politics' back home and flew to participate in the `historic' special general convention of the United Nations, also dubbed as `the millennium summit.' For a small, developing country like Nepal, it was a forum to raise her concerns before the world community and renew her commitment to world peace.

During his five-minute long speech, Koirala raised issues ranging from reducing widening gap between the rich and poor countries, poverty alleviation, easy access for the goods produced in developing countries into the markets of industrialized countries and need to bring out reforms in the UN structure, especially the Security Council.

PM Koirala: renewing contacts

In the wake of growing nuclearization in South Asia, Koirala said states must exercise requisite political will and act together to eliminate the threats of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, to prevent conflicts and resolve disputes peacefully, to tackle terrorism and crimes, and to bring inclusive progress, among others. Koirala urged the development partners to help the least developed countries with adequate resources to remove their development constraints, and with duty-free and quota-free access for their exports. "The transit countries should provide better transit facilities to the land-locked countries so that they can join the global economic mainstream," he added.

Analysts say this is perhaps the first time that a Nepali head of the government has raised the issue of Nepal's transit rights in an international forum. Nepal has to depend on India for her access to sea.

Koirala was more forthright during an interview with a multi-national channel. In an 'on-line chat program' over CNN television channel in the US, Koirala warned that if nearly 100,000 Bhutanese developed links with terrorist groups, it would pose threats to both Nepal and Bhutan. He said the problem was least likely to be resolved without the mediation by India. He further said Indian premier A. B. Vajpayee had taken interest in resolving the decade-old impasse. When asked about alleged Pakistani intelligence activities in Nepal, Koirala said he was not in favor of throwing stones into the dark. "First, they (the Indian side) should come up with concrete evidence. Then we are always ready to act," he said. Terming the more than four year old Maoist insurgency in Nepal as a 'terrorist act,' Koirala said the government had introduced economic and administrative measures to control it. "At the same time, we are open for dialogue (with the rebels)," he said.

"Though the issues raised by Koirala in the UN summit are not new, the summit gave him an opportunity to interact with world leaders and further national interests," said Prof. Dr. Panna Kaji Amatya, President of Nepal Council of World Affairs. "Since such meetings are part of diplomacy, informal contacts and gathering could be more important at the side-lines of the summit."

The Nepali Prime Minister also took part in a round table interaction program participated by heads of state and/or government of some 50 countries. Addressing the conference, he emphasized on the need for the expansion of inter-relations on matters of peace, development and poverty alleviation.

"The invitation to Koirala at the round table conference shows that Nepali mission in the UN has done good home work. Now Nepal needs to do appropriate follow up activities to translate the good-will generated by Koirala for nation's benefit," said Prof. Amatya. "The success of Koirala's visit, hence, can be judged only in future."

The largest gathering of world leaders in history, the three-day summit (September 6-8) concluded in New York adopting the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The 32-point declaration resolves to halve the 22 percent of the world population living on less than one dollar a day by 2015. The Declaration has described the UN as the indispensable common house of the entire human family and has said it must be strengthened and made more effective. The summit has also pledged to flight against global warming and HIV/AIDS.

While in New York, Prime Minister Koirala attended a reception organized by the US President Bill Clinton, had meetings with Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajayee, Chief Executive of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf and other world leaders. He also signed on two optional protocols to the convention on the rights of the child at the United Nation headquarters in New York on Friday, coinciding with the UN millennium summit. According to the Foreign Ministry, the two documents signed are the optional protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the sale of the children, child pornography and child prostitution; and the optional protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. On the same occasion, Nepal also deposited its instrument of accession to the convention on the safety of the UN and associated personnel.