NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Friend In Need

Foreign Office Minister Ben Bradshaw's visit reaffirms Britain's strong support to Nepal

By KESHAB POUDEL

Although it is far away from Nepal, Britain has always consoled and supported Nepalis whenever the country has faced difficulties. As one of the oldest friends of Nepal, with diplomatic relations dating back more than two hundred years, Britain has played a very important role in the overall development of Nepal.

Frequent high-level visits by leaders of the two countries have helped to strengthen bilateral relations. The morning after Maoist rebels massacred 134 security personnel at Achham district ó the deadliest rebel assault since they launched their so-called "people's war" ó British Foreign Office Minister Ben Bradshaw was in Kathmandu to console the Nepalese people.

Nepal's development activities and its wider economy have been seriously disrupted by the Maoist insurgency. The visit of Bradshaw at such a critical juncture was, therefore, of great significance for Nepal. Although it was a routine visit scheduled a few months ago, the timing of Bradshaw's arrival was important.

During his 24-hour visit, Bradshaw met King Gyanendra, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other senior officials and discussed ways of helping Nepal fight Maoist terrorism. "The visit was productive and interesting. I am here to show solidarity with Nepal to find a solution to the problem," said Bradshaw, before leaving for New Delhi.

"The message I want to convey is that we will support the move of the government. We have been supporting Nepal with an annual aid of 20 million sterling pounds and will increase this flow. We can provide training, logistic support and other advice. Britain will certainly help Nepal. We have also experienced in Northern Ireland a similar kind of problem for 35 years. There is a need for a robust attack on this type of terrorism," said Bradshaw.

The British minister spoke on a wide range of matters of bilateral importance and interest. The following are excerpts from his comments.

On the Maoist insurgency: The insurgency has been ruthless and relentless. I don't see any chance of peaceful negotiations until the Maoists are serious. The government has received greater sympathy from the world community after latest ruthless assault. Any democratic government has the right to defend its citizens. After the September 11 attacks [in the United States], there has been a greater obligation to stop terrorism in the world. We have already passed legislation to stop terrorist propaganda.

On political priorities: The problem of insurgency is not going to be solved only through military means. It is quite a difficult operation to complete. The politicians should work together and not to work to destabilize the country. One of the things we learned from Northern Ireland is that there must be firm and strong military presence to build the confidence. Along with the security arrangement, the government must start poverty alleviation, social and economic development program. We are ready to help Nepal in many fields. As many people here feel that information and intelligence gathering need to improve.

On democracy: Because of the growing insurgency, the tourism sector is badly affected. It is not easy to run a democratic system. As Churchill said, democracy is the worst form of government except for the alternatives. You have a young democracy so it is vulnerable. In any young and vulnerable democracy, insurgency is a threat. We have not received any specific request from Nepal. You need to build an accountable system. Along with the UK, you are also getting help from the United States, India and other countries to quell terrorism. After the event of September 11, a growing number of countries are fighting against terrorism.

On British Gurkhas: British Gurkhas are one of the major links between our two countries. The British people have always admired the role of the Gurkhas. The Labor government has done many things to increase pension and other conditions to British Gurkha soldiers.

The preceding comments show how worried Britain is about the deteriorating situation Nepal has been facing for the last six years. A true mark of a friend in need.