Foreign aid falls drastically

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 14 March: Nepal received a measly Rs 2.37 billion in foreign aid during the first seven months of 2007/08, as donors waiting for the government to come up with clear development priorities and commitments shied away from extending enough support to the country, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The assistance received was far less that what the government had anticipated mobilizing during the period. The government, in the budget for the current fiscal year, had set a target to realize foreign aid worth Rs 44.82 billion, which formed 81 percent of the development budget.
‘All the assistance that have come were from multilateral donors, whereas bilateral development partners, despite the rhetoric, have preferred to hold back at a time when the country’s needs aid the most,” said an official.
As a result, the country is set to miss most of its development targets announced for the year.

[Note: Donors suspended aid ,in effect, to force government to hold elections postponed two times and now being held 10 April. USA first said it would stop to government if Maoists were inducted and later said it would deny funds to Maoist run ministries. Washington later announced aid flow was conditional to election.]
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Girija concludes king needed

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 14 March:
“This is how communists behave. Democrats could be swept away by removing the king,: Koirala told Home Minister Krishna Prasad Shitaula and Minister of State Ram Kumar Chaudhary.
Koirala, always on the offensive against the king, said one day after returning from Biratnagar the king was absolutely essential for democrats.
Ministers were surprised when Koirala said in the presence of relatives.
“A ceremonial status must be given for the King,” Koirala said emotionally. “Otherwise, the left will be overrun us.”
Koirala indicated the king should side with democrats.
“If the king cooperates, Nepali Congress will again be established as a big political party,” a source quoting Koirala said.

[Note: Congress Thursday formally adopted a republican agenda in its election manifesto.]

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War of words between CPN-UML, Maoists

Kathmandu, 14 March: The war of words between Maoists and CPN-UML continued Friday.
Maoist daily ‘Jandisha’ published a photograph of CPN-UML General- Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal paying his loyalty to the newly crowned King Gyanedra at Nasal Chowk after the Narayanhiti palace massacre.
An accompanying caption to a story read: Comrade aren’t you ashamed for crying loud for a republic?
Nepal earlier described Prachanda as a ‘wall president’ referring to wall posters pushing as Nepal’s first president after elections even though the assembly election is just to elect constituent assembly members to draft a constitution.
“Maoists are still bloodthirsty not satisfied with 15,000 killings,” Nepal charged at an election rally. “Maoists don’t know any other language. They can only say they will shams limbs of others.”
Dr Baburam Bhattarai said in Biratnagar Thursday: CPN-UML will be obliterated without an electoral alliance with us. UML is an eunuch.
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