BHUTANESE AND US NATIONALS, NOT NEPALIS PASSENGERS KILLED IN TARA AIR CRASH (BREAKING NEWS)

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 16 Dec.: Among 19 passengers , 18 Bhutanese and one US national were killed in Wednesday’s Tara Air Twin Otter crash in Okhaldunga, reports from the crash site said Thursday..
The passengers weren’t Nepalis as reported earlier.
Published reports said Thursday an unnamed travel agency in the capital booked the pilgrims as Nepalis.
A special delegation is flying from Bhutan to receive the bodies of the Bhutanese in the Nepali capital.
Bodies of crew members Capt. Anup Raj Sakya. Co-pilot Sachidra Shrestha and Air Hostess Sudicchhya Gurung were the first to be flown into Kathmandu.
They will be handed over to relatives after postmortem at TU Teaching Hospital.
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OPERATING PERMIT OF AIR ARABIA SUSPENDED

Kathmandu, 16 Dec.: Government, at the last moment Wednesday, suspended its permit to the low-cost UEA airline to operate direct flights from Thursday between Kathmandu and Kuala Lumpur.
The permit was issued through a ministerial decision of the tourism ministry.
State airline Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) enjoyed a monopoly on the sector.
NAC employees Wednesday disrupted all internal flights protesting government decision to allow Air Arabia to fly to Malaysia from Nepal with fifth freedom rights.
Parliament’s international and human rights committee Sunday asked government to rescind its decision to permit the UAE airline to fly to Kuala Lumpur.
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NC CONVENES MEETNG OF 18 PARTIES

Kathmandu, 16 Dec.: NC Thursday has convened a meeting of 18 political parties suspicious and opposed to a special session of parliament called by resident Dr Ram Baran Yadav 19 December.
The president called the session at the request of Maoists and five other parties.
The president convened the session after more than 125 members of the 599-member parliament demanded the session according to the interim constitution.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said he wasn’t consulted with the president the legislature into session; he also charged Maoists for pushing the special session when while asking government to convene a normal session through political understanding and consultation.
The 18-party will discuss the candidacy of NC Vice-president Ram Chandra Paudel for prime minister to replace Nepal.
Sixteen rounds of parliamentary elections to elect Nepal’s successor have been inconclusive.
Maoists and five other splinter parties argue Paudel is no longer candidate after the legislative session was prorogued to government to announce a budget through ordinance when Maoists encircled Finance Minister Surendra Pandey in the legislature preventing him from announcing the delayed document.
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NEPALI RMG CRISIS IN EU

Kathmandu, 16 Dec 16: Nepal´s garment industry that relies heavily in the European market is set to face a severe blow with the change in European Union´s law on rules of origin and the decision to scrap special exemption pledged to Nepal. The new rules of origin will come into effect from January 1, 2011, Prabhakar Ghimere reports in Republica.

The change will straightaway hit the country´s garment export, which is worth some Rs 3 billion a year, to European countries,” said Uday Raj Pandey, president of Garment Association of Nepal (GAN).
Though can make petition to continue the facilities, officials at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) said they do not have much time for petition, thanks to lack of lack of communication by Nepali Embassy in Brussels.

The EU was providing derogation facility to Nepal, under which Nepali manufacturers enjoy duty-free market access even without using local raw materials. Similar facility was also pledged to Cambodia and Laos.

The EU had announced the change in its law and withdrawal of facility on November 19. However, government officials and stakeholders, including GAN, came to know about the changes only when the high-level EU delegation visited the country this week.

Contrary to the events that unfolded in Brussels some three weeks ago, MoCS and GAN had still lobbied for the facility and inquired the delegation about the fate of the facility.

“It is a really embarrassing situation for us. And worse part is; our officials in Brussels are still silent about it,” an official at MoCS told Republica.

The change in EU´s law on rules of origin was not unexpected. Officials knew the change was coming at least a year ago.

Officials of MoCS and GAN had been lobbying hard for the continuation of derogation facility for the next two years, especially given the country´s political transition and additional time traders needed to switch to the new system in a sustainable manner. The facility is scheduled to expire on December and MoCS and GAN officials had been communicating with officials at the EU headquarters through Nepali Embassy for the extension of facility for the last three months.

“About a few weeks ago, both MoCS and the Nepali Embassy in Brussels had informed us that EU was positive on our request. But the EU delegation brought with them a big shock,” Pandey added.

“The entire saga lays bare the competence of our officials there and the kind of economic diplomacy that they have been practicing.”

Even James Moran, EU´s director general of External Relation for Asia, who led the EU delegation, had expressed surprise over the lack of communication by the embassy in Brussels to the stakeholders back home.

“Had we knew about the decision on time, we would have requested the prime minister to lobby for the facility during his EU visit,” Pandey said.

PM Madhav Kumar Nepal had returned home after attending a program organized by EU only a few days ago.

Commerce Secretary Purushottam Ojha said he came to know about the new development only recently. “We will decided our future steps only after going through the new rule and assessing the impacts that it would make,” he added.

Exporters said the end of the derogation facility will hit them hardly. They said they now will have to ensure local raw materials content and higher value addition, something which will not be possible given the state of textile industry in the country.

“Sadly, the latest development will hit our overall exports figure. And considering the current huge trade gap and balance of payment deficit, it will trouble the government and country as well,” added Pandey.

According to records, Nepal´s exports to the EU stand at around $100 million. Of that, readymade garment alone accounts for $40 million. GAN says Europe consumes some two-thirds of around Rs 5.5 billion worth of garment that the country exports in a year.
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MEET HALFWAY: UNMIN POST REPO -

Kathmandu, 16 Dec.: UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren has urged Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to forge an agreement on monitoring and supervision of the Maoist combatants after the UN political mission leaves in mid-January, The Kathmandu Post reports.

In a letter to Prime Minister Nepal and Dahal, Landgren urged both to develop an agreed-upon alternative arrangement that could take over UNMIN’s responsibilities after its departure.

“We encourage the parties to expedite an agreement on all aspects of monitoring and supervision, how the cantonments will be supervised, including a clear legal framework and a formal dispute resolution mechanism that will be applied following the withdrawal of UNMIN,” read the letter sent on Monday. “It is in the interest of all parties to have a common understanding about supervisory arrangements that should be put in place following UNMIN’s departure.” UNMIN’s call comes at a time when the government and the main opposition are at loggerheads on the alternative arrangement that would take over UNMIN’s arms monitoring responsibility.

Prime Minister Nepal has invited a meeting of the Special Committee for the Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist combatants on Thursday morning to discuss the concerns expressed by UNMIN.

In the letter, UNMIN has requested the two sides to clarify the status of the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA), the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC), the supervisory arrangement planned by the parties and the disposition of the UN’s monitoring-related equipment.

The government is firm on ending the monitoring of the national army after the departure of UNMIN while the Maoists want both Nepal Army and the People’s Liberation Army to be monitored till the completion of the integration process. A top Maoist leader told the Post that the Maoist party would send a “unilateral request” for UNMIN’s term extension if the parties fail to break the political impasse before mid-January. Meanwhile, the government reiterated that the Special Committee will take over UNMIN’s responsibility. “The AMMAA agreement will not be required once the combatants come under the supervision of the special committee, which will make new monitoring arrangements,” said Peace Minister Rakam Chemjong.


US VIEW OF UNMIN EXTENSION

A senior US official has said there is no possibility of the term of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) being extended. US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert O. Blake, Jr. also urged political parties in Nepal to form a new government at the earliest and take up the responsibility of monitoring the arms and armies after the departure of UNMIN on Jan. 15, The Kathmandu Post adds..

“I don’t think there is a possibility of UNMIN’s term being extended,” Blake said. He was responding to a telephone call from the Kathmandu Post on Wednesday during an “end-of-year review” media call with journalists from South Asia.

“I don’t think there is an appetite for that and the government of Nepal should be prepared to take on the responsibility.” We are looking forward to a smooth transition after UNMIN’s departure, he said. Blake also said the U.S. was deeply disappointed with the political stalemate and failure to form a new government.

“The failure to form a government has inhibited discussions on other important questions,” Blake said. It is important to reach an agreement on government, integration of Maoist combatants and constitution drafting, he added.
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