News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

Parties Waiting For Palace Call

Koirala

The five agitating parties who have forwarded Madhav Kumar Nepal, Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), as their consensus candidate for the post of Prime Minister are waiting for the call from the palace. The parties have said they would wait till the Monday (June 2) morning for such call and then after resume their agitations. King Gyanendra had asked the leaders of the parties to come up with consensus candidate within 72 hours, which finishes today evening, for the post. The UML even took out a big rally in Kathmandu on Sunday to press the King to form the government headed by leader of agitating parties. Although the five parties have agreed upon the name of Nepal, rest of the three parties including Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP-Mandal) and Nepali Congress (Democratic) have maintained that the respective leaders of their own parties be given the chance. However, NC-Democratic is exhibiting flexibility by saying that it is ready to support consensus candidate. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has supported Nepal for the next Prime Minister. Sources say he recommended Nepal's name during the joint audience with the King on Friday (May 30). Leading dailies report

Dr. Bhattarai Sees Conspiracy Against Peace Talks

The coordinator of the Maoists talks team Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has termed the resignation by the Chand government and the call to agitating parties to form the government as conspiracy to derail peace talks. 'Chand's resignation is a measure of that conspiracy. The palace does not want to be guilty of derailing talks and so it will put that burden on the parliamentary parties,' he told reporters on Sunday (June 1). He asked how the status of Madhav Kumar Nepal, if appointed new Prime Minister, be greater than that of Chand who had enjoyed the King's confidence. He pointed to the lack of implementation of the agreement to restrict army's activities within 5 km radius of their barracks. 'How can the parliament revive? Even if it does, it will do so upon the mercy of the King. The problem, which could not be resolved yesterday with the full swing parliament cannot be solved now. They (parliamentary parties) will become unsuccessful,' he said. Dr. Bhattarai accused that USA was foiling the peace talks by using Royal Nepalese Army (RNA). He said the moves were aimed at putting Maoists and parliamentary parties face to face (for confrontation). Kantipur daily reports

King Could Seek SC's Opinion

Sources say that the King could seek the opinion of Supreme Court (SC) on the formation of powerful government under the Article 128 of the Constitution. During the joint audience on Friday, there were discussions on seeking court's opinion on reinstating the House of Representatives but there were no discussions on seeking the opinion on forming the government, sources add. Nepal Samacharpatra daily reports

UNHCR Irked By Deportation Of Tibetans

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed grave concerns about the fate of 18 Tibetan asylum seekers deported to China by Nepal. It has accused Nepal of ignoring its pleas not to deport them. The deportation has been called 'a blatant violation of Nepal's obligation under the international law', according to a press statement issued from the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. On Friday, the UNHCR had sent an urgent letter to the prime minister's office urging the government not to send back the Tibetans and pointing out that such a move would represent an act of 'refoulment' prohibited by international refugee laws, the statement said. 'Until now Nepali authorities have allowed UNHCR to screen Tibetan asylum seekers and resettle them in third countries in accordance with the UN refugee agency's mandate,' it said. 'The refoulment represents an alarming departure from the practice. The 18 deported were part of a group of 21 Tibetans who arrived in Nepal in mid-April.' The Himalayan Times daily

LDCs Demand Simpler Market Access

The meeting of the representatives of 38 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) being held in Dhaka, Bangladesh has agreed to press ahead the issues like trade obstruction and market access. The representatives are meeting in Dhaka to frame a common strategy to present at the next fifth ministerial meet of World Trade Organization (WTO). The representatives agreed to press for simpler market access to goods from LDCs. They agreed to ask the developed countries to do away with the tariff and non tariff obstructions. Likewise, the representatives are still discussing to reach agreement on free movement of labors. Compiled from reports

Chand Resigns, King Meets With Party Leaders

Nearly eight months after he came into office, Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand stepped down on Friday (May 30) amid intensifying protests from the political parties. King Gyanendra accepted the resignation of Chand on Friday and asked his cabinet to continue in office till new Prime Minister is appointed. King Gyanendra also gave a joint audience to leaders of seven political parties including four agitating parties. All top leaders including Girija Prasad Koirala, president of Nepali Congress, Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of Unified Marxist Leninist, Narayan Man Bijukchche, president of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, Amik Sherchan, president of People's Front, Sher Bahadur Deuba, president of NC(Democratic) and Pashupati SJB Rana, president of Rastriya Prajatantra Party were present on the occasion. Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand and Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal were also present. Crown Prince Paras was also present on the occasion. At the joint audience, leaders bickered amongst themselves. The leaders of agitating parties objected to the presence of other leaders. They had earlier on the same day met to decide their strategy. Leading dailies report

Nepal Is Consensus Candidate For PM

Nepali Congress supremo Girija Prasad Koirala has said that Madhav Kumar Nepal, the general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), is the consensus candidate for the post of Prime Minister among the five agitating parties. 'We have already told the King that Nepal should be made the Prime Minister. As UML is the single largest party in the present parliament, the five parties have concluded that Nepal should be made the Prime Minister,' Koirala told reporters on Saturday. He, however, added that the new government would have to reinstate the House of Representatives and bring the constitution back on track. Meanwhile, Nepal has started consultations with leaders of other parties in this regard. Leading dailies report

Parties See Conspiracy In Joint Audience

The leaders of the five agitating parties have criticized the palace at inviting 'three other parties' in the Friday's joint audience with the King. They suspect conspiracy at the manner in which Badri Prasad Mandal, Deputy Prime Minister and chief of his faction of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) was invited at the palace audience casting aside the NSP-Anandi Devi faction which has joined hands with other four parties in the ongoing agitation. In a meeting held to discuss the strategy of five parties on Saturday, leaders said they will carry on with their agitation till 'all existing problems' were solved. Compiled from reports

Maoists Not To Distinguish Between Chand Or Any Other

In a statement issued by chairman of Maoists Prachanda, the party has said that it sees no difference in the government headed by Lokendra Bahadur Chand or any other leader. Prachanda criticized the 'so-called parliamentary parties' saying they were only after PM's chair. 'Changing the prime minister and remarks made by the commander of the Royal Nepal Army are part of the conspiracy, masterminded and directed by foreign forces, against our party's responsible steps,' he stated. In the statement, Prachanda said that the change of government and resistance by the army commanders to the agreements made during the peace talks were mere attempts to linger the peace process and delay the resolution of the crisis. He added that the interference of external powers, particularly the US, and submissive nature of the 'old regime' were giving way to conspiracies against political solution to the problems plaguing the country. He said Maoists wanted a peaceful resolution of the problem and are serious for a political way out but warned that it should not be taken that Maoists would tolerate moves that unnecessarily linger the process. The Himalayan Times daily reports

Finance Minister Promises Realistic Budget

Speaking at a pre-budget discussion for the fiscal year 2003/04, Finance Minister Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha said that he will bring a realistic budget to take the fruits of development to local level. At the program organized by Nepal Economic Association, Dr. Shrestha said that he will try to abolish Kawadi tax this year as demanded by business community. Dr. Tilak Rawal, governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, said that at present the economy was moving in a right direction with signs of improvement. The Himalayan Times daily reports

'Parliament' Meets, Demands To Restore Democracy

The five agitating parties held ëParliament' at the Royal Nepal Academy Hall on May 28 to reiterate their demand to restore democracy. The meeting urged King Gyanendra to immediately form an all-party government or revive the dissolved House of Representative. General Secretary of the CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal urged Maoist not to prolong the term of the government under the pretext of talks and said that only a legitimate government can give positive results of the ongoing peace talks.† Since the incumbent Speaker Tara Nath Ranabhat had refused to chair the ësession', it was chaired by Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala as he was the elder-most MP. The ësession' was shifted to the hall after they failed to enter the Singha Durbar. At least two dozen protestors including half a dozen member of dissolved house of representative were injured when police lathicharged and use teargas to stop the rally heading towards the Singha Durbar. Leading dailies report