Nepal will do all that is necessary to address the concern of the international community

The foreign policy of Nepal is primarily geared to safeguard the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nepal and help accelerate our socio-economic conditions to better the lives of our people. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990, the United Nations Charter, the five principles of peaceful co-existence and promotion of international peace, cooperation and understanding remain the guiding principles of our foreign policy. We harbor no prejudice against any country and always strive to strengthen the friendship and understanding with all the countries of the world. We wish to enhance our understanding and goodwill with all friendly countries for the mutually beneficial relationship.

We cherish our relations with our neighboring countries, India and China. His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev's ongoing visit to India and His Majesty's forthcoming visit to China manifest our deep traditional relations and contribute in consolidating the ties of friendship and cooperation between us. My recent visit to India was also fruitful in promoting understanding and enhancing goodwill between our two countries given the challenges and opportunities we face in the world today. ( HM King Gyanendra has already returned from India and is all set to leave for China-Editor).

Our relations with the countries of the region also remain close and friendly. We are committed to further strengthening our relationship with them bilaterally as well as at the regional level, particularly through SAARC. The Eleventh SAARC Summit held in Kathmandu this year successfully arrived at a common position in charting a future course for the organization, including on the question of poverty alleviation in the region. As the Chairperson of SAARC, I would like to reiterate that Nepal will continue to work toward realizing the organization's objectives, including the prospect of further enhancing economic cooperation among the countries of our region.

Our relationship with our development partners who have helped us in our endeavor towards socio-economic development of Nepal is producing satisfactory results. The recent visit of the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Mr. Colin Powell, to Nepal and my meeting with President George Bush was beneficial in promoting understanding and cooperation between our two countries. Equally fruitful was my recent visit to the United Kingdom and my meeting with the Right Honorable Tony Blair, which paved the way for the International Meeting on Nepal held in London recently. The London meeting held last week condemned terrorism in Nepal and the violence perpetrated by the so-called Maoists terrorists. It expressed the commitment of the International Community in extending developmental support to Nepal for meeting the cost of the losses that the terrorists have incurred by their destruction of our development infrastructures. We appreciate the support given by the international community to His Majesty's Government and the people of Nepal in confronting the current crisis. I would personally like to acknowledge the special interest, which Honorable Claire Short has taken in this noble endeavor for the people of Nepal. I would also like to take this opportunity to reassure the international community that His Majesty's Government will do all that is necessary to address the concern of the international community as we jointly work together in making Nepal strong and stable again.

We also work very closely with developing countries in promoting the economic and political interests of developing countries in the international forums including the United Nations. To pursue our interest as a group, Nepal actively participates and cooperates with other Least Developed Countries and Land Locked Developing Countries. Our experience is that Nepal's role could be more effective in these smaller groups at international forums.

At the global level, our commitment to the principles and the Charter of the United Nations is unflinching. It is our resolved faith that justice and peace should prevail on this earth. Nepal plays active role for peaceful and just world in the international forums by expressing her opinions based on merits of the issue. Moreover, Nepal has contributed to the call of the United Nations and participated in the United Nations peacekeeping Missions since 1958. Many Nepalese peacekeepers have sacrificed their lives for the noble cause of peace. Our commitment to a peaceful and just world has enhanced our participation in the United Nations System.

Nepal being a peace loving country is completely in favor of total disarmament. We are totally against arms race, nuclear proliferation, illicit arms trade, chemical weapons production and deployment and antiballistic missile defense system. Nepal holds the view that peace can only be achieved following a complete disarmament. Our endeavor must be to make Non-Proliferation Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty an effective instrument for controlling the arms race, particularly after witnessing the tense environment in our part of the world recently. Nepal is a party to NPT and signatory to CTBT. We welcome the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to establish the UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament for the Asia and the Pacific Region in Kathmandu.

Uplifting the standard of living of our people is one of the main concerns of our foreign policy. Our diplomatic endeavor is more towards facilitating exports of Nepal, promoting tourism, broadening and facilitating employment abroad for the Nepalese people and Human Resource Development. As a matter of fact, diplomacy should be geared to maximizing the economic interest of Nepal. In this context, the capability of the foreign ministry needs to be strengthened to make it play a more effective role in the sphere of economic diplomacy. His Majesty's Government is taking strong and positive steps in this regard and I am confident that we will see the results in the coming years. We are hopeful that in the near future our membership in the World Trade Organization will supplement our efforts in promoting foreign trade as it will enable us to reap benefits from the mainstream of the globalized trade regime.

The violence and upheaval unleashed by the so-called Maoists terrorists in some districts of Nepal have retarded the process of development in our country. We are committed in wiping out terrorism from Nepal in whatever form. Terrorism has no place in a democratic society, and we will prevail in democracy's fight against terrorism. In keeping with the norms of our Constitution, I have given clear instructions to the security forces (that) there should be no deliberate abuse of Human Rights of our people in whatever operations that are undertaken. Human Rights is a fundamental principle of our Constitution and the multiparty system that we cherish, and we will see that it is observed fully even in our present times of difficulty.

His Majesty's Government of Nepal remains committed to solving the Bhutanese refugee problem that has taxed our nation for so long. As the verification process is continuing, I appeal to the Government of Bhutan to work for an early settlement of the problem so that the refugees may be able to go back to their home in safety, honor and dignity.

Full text of the speech of Nepal's Prime Minister delivered June 28, 2002, at the 55 th anniversary of the Nepal Council of World Affairs, NCWA-chief editor.

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