Nepal, India sign four MoUs

Kathmandu, 16 Jan.: Nepal and India Saturday signed four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on the first day of a three-day official visit of India Foreign Minister SM Krishna.
A fifth on the construction of a police academy wasn’t penned.
MoUs were signed by Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala and Krishna on reinforcing a road infrastructure in terai and electrification of five villages in Rupendhaehi.
MoUs were also signed for establishing a central depository and clearing and settlement system of Nepal Stock Exchange Ltd. and establishment of Nepal-India Matri Learnng Center in the capital.
In separate talks with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Koirala, the visiting minister discussed enhancing security along the 1,700 km Nepal border Friday.
:”We discussed the security of the two nations and the Nepali side assured us that Nepali land will not be used for anti-India activities,” Krishna said.
Nepal and India discussed signing a new extradition treaty, renewing a 1950 bilateral friendship treaty and signing strip maps to confirm the border.
There was no agreement on signing the strip maps; 98 percent of the
mapping work is complete.
Krishna also discussed the peace process and drafting the
constitution within the 28 May deadline.
“If Nepal can institutionalize peace, India will remain undisturbed.
“It is imperative for Nepal to write the constitution within the given timetable,” he said after the talks.
Menon flied to Birgunj Saturday to lay the foundation of an
integrated customs point there.
He flies back for talks with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav who is spaying a state visit to India in February.
Nearly one dozen persons associated with Unified National Front (UNNF), including its Chairman Phanindra Nepal were arrested at the airport Friday as they greeted Krishna with black flags.
The Front has been protesting Indian border encroachment.
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NA confirms receiving military hardware but not weapons

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 16 Jan. Nepal Army (NA) confirmed Friday it
has received vehicles from India while denying Maoist claim that
arms supplies have begun to trickle in.
India suspended all supplies to NA during the royal regime.
The vehicle supply was received ahead of the arrival of Indian ArmyChief Gen Deepak Kapoor next week.
The visit of the Indian army chief who will be conferred the rank
of honourary general of NA, reflects the restoration of
military ties between armies of the two countries snapped during the royal regime.
“We received 45 vehicles from India as part of military aid,” The Kathmandu Post quoted Maj. Ashok Gurung of NA’s Directorate of Public Relations as saying.
Altogether 35 trucks, 10 Tata Sumo MUVs, two ambulances, one breakdown truck and a water tanker arrived Thursday, the newspaper reported.
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Jailbreak in Kapilvasthu

Kathmandu, 16 Jan.: Eight prisoners broke jail and escaped from the Kapilbasthu district prison overnight.
They dug a tunnel north of the prison and escaped.
Prisoners escaped from the same prison two years ago.
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President offers worship at Panauti

Kathmandu, 16 Jan.: President Dr Ram Baran Baran Yadav Friday
offered prayers at Tribenighat in Panauti where a month-long
Khumba Makkar Mela began.
He offered prayers at Branayani temple.
Mass worship in neighbouring Kavre district is offered every 12 years.
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Nepali sentenced to death in Malaysia

Kathmandu, 16 Jan.: A Malaysian high court on Thursday
sentenced Ram Bahadur Rai, a Nepali factory worker, to death after
finding him guilty of murdering a Nepali friend, The Himalayan
Times reports.
Rai had been accused of stabbing the victim two years ago in the
city of Shah Alam.
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Maoists may support Deuba ousting PM Nepal

Kathmandu, 16 Jan.: Maoists have kept an option open to make senior Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba prime minister, Nagarik reports.
Maoist source revealed two rounds of talks have been
held between Deuba and Maoist Vice-chairman Narayankazi
Shrestha and lawmaker Khimlal Debkota.
Maoists will first try to form a government under them but an
alternative plan is to form a government under Deuba, a Maoist leader said.
Debkota told Nagarik Deuba’s proposal is natural.
“The proposal is only natural when the incumbent government can’t promulgate the constitution,” Debkota said.
A source claimed Deuba made the proposal to Maoists after concluding
A government led by Nepal can’t draft a constitution and Maoists
also can’t form a government as Congress President Girija Prasad
Koirala is pressing the candidacy of Sujata Koirala.
“After the Singapore agreement in which there was agreement
to make either Girija or Prachanda prime minister and it hasn’t
been implemented, only then the high-level political
mechanism was formed,” a Maoist leader said quoting Deuba’s proposal.
‘Under the circumstances, you must support me.”
The Maoist leader said the party has concluded it would be better to
support a person who was
elected from two constituencies instead of backing a person defeated in two
constituencies.
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CHATTER

“UN Chief Ban’s latest report has no suggestion for a national government
this time. Looks like New York has heard the fuss raised in Kathmandu.”

(SujanThapa)
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