UML CENTRAL COMMITTEE ENDORSES 7-POINT AGREEMENT WITH AMENDMENTS; OTHER DETAILS

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: UML and Maoists Wednesday morning held discussions after UML central committee Tuesday unanimously approved a four-point recommendation of the party politburo to amend the 3 February secret agreement to propel Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal to power.
Khanal and Maoist Chairman Prachanda signed the deal propelling Khanal to power with Maoist support.
Khanal and Prachanda are heading the talks team of two parties as discussions got underway at Singha Durbar early Wednesday.
Maoists asked for details of the central committee decisions from the UML.
Following the talks, Maoists began internal discussions on the party move.
Maoist Vice-chairmen Mohan Baidya Kiran and Dr. Baburam Bhatarai are in the team assisting Prachanda.
The endorsement paves the way for the delayed expansion of the Khanal cabinet with four members—all from UML
Khanal said after the meeting government will now be expanded.
The meeting formed a four-member dialogue team to hold talks with Maoists and other parties to join government; the prime minister; former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, KP Oli and, General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel are members.
The standing committee has been empowered to select a government team; eight ministries have been set aside for UML in talks with Maoists who have been allotted 11 ministries.
“The UML meeting has concluded. On its basis, Maoists will now meet and decide whether to join the government or not,” leader Deb Gurung said.
NC said it won’t join the government as party President Sushil Koirala called for the abrogation not amendment of the seven-point agreement.
Maoists decided not to join government and lend the government outside support protesting UML attempts to retreat from the agreement.
The UML central committee meeting decided to push a federal democratic republic’ and not a people’s republic. The party leading the government decided a separate state security agencies with former Maoist combatants can’t be formed constitution drafting and peace process should move with the support of major parties.
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MAOISTS SEEK CLARIFICATION FROM UML

Kathmandu, 23 Feb. Maoists Wednesday sought clarification from UML said the party’s decision Tuesday to amend the 7-point secret agreement between chairmen of UML and Maoists weren’t clear.
The request was made following a summit meet of two parties.
Maoist standing committee is meeting Thursday to make clear its official position.
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TWO MAOIST WORKERS MISSING IN DHADING

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Maoist workers Kamal Shrestha and Shiba Magar, who hail from Dhanusha, have gone missing while bathing in Trisuli river Tuesday in Dhading.
A search has been launched.
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SUB-COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS CONTENTIOUS ISSUES

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Three major parties in constituent assembly (CA) decided to form a sub-committee. under constitution drafting committee to discuss contentious clauses in a proposed basic law.
Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, Chairman Prachanda and NC parliamentary leader Ram Chandra Paudel agreed to form such a sub-committee,

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REVENUE OFFICIAL SHOT DEAD

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Revenue official Madhav Thapa, 55, was shot dead at Kalaiya VDC-10 in Bara overnight.
He was shot at home and died while being rushed to hospital .
Akhil Terai Mukti Morcha claimed responsibility.
Officials closed down all offices in Bara Wednesday indefinitely and offices in neighbouring Parsa have been closed down for one day.
District officials are protesting in front of district administration office where Thapa’s body has been kept.
Officials are demanding Thapa be declared a martyr.
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PAKISTANI ARRESTED WITH FAKE INDIAN NOTES

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Pakistani national Mehaboob Alam Ali was arrested Tuesday at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) with fake Rs 3.5 million Indian currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations.
He flew in from Karachi.
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EU DOLE

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: EU Tuesday gave a 15 million euro grant equivalent to Rs. 1.5 billion for health, vocational training and promotion of good governance.
The money will also be invested for promotion of democracy, human rights, tourism, management of solid waste and issues related to migration.
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KAMAL THAPA BEREAVED

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Bishnu Kumari, 88, mother of RPP-Nepal Chairman Kamal Thapa and ANFA President Ganesh Thapa died Tuesday.
She was suffering diabetes.
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LABOURERS TO BE COMPENSATED

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Families of three labourers killed while constructing a retaining wall at the residence of former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai will each be compensated Rs 500,000.
Government provides the ashram for Bhattarai who is undergoing treatment at hospital for conjunctive heart failure, chronic kidney failure and chronic bronchitis.
Police negotiated the deal with the construction company undertaking repairs on behalf of workers.
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REPAIR OF PRATAP TEMPLE STARTS WEDNESDAY

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Repair of Pratapur temple at Syambhu will start Wednesday after tantrik chayyama or forgiveness puja.
The temple was damaged after a lightning strike 15 February.
Lightning struck the temple during the reign of King Birendra whose entire family was killed in the Narayanhiti royal palace massacre.
Crown Prince Dipendra shot dead the family.
Devotees believe the temple destruction is a bad omen.
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RPP-NEPAL DENOUNCES GUN ATTACK

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Conservative RPP-Nepal condemned a gun attack on its worker in Banke Tuesday.
Banke working committee member Nir Bahadur Adhikari was shot in the chest by an underground group active in the region.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“More than the 7-point agreement, the issues mentioned in it are serious. It’s no ordinary matter UCPN(Maoist) Chairman Prachanda and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal should embark on a long journey. This indicates political polarization.”

(Surya Bahadur Thapa, Ghatana ra Bichar, 23 Feb.)

“Though Kuwait is not directly affected by the current wave of anti-government demonstrations, politically, it does not seem sound for the president to visit the region, where legitimacy of autocratic regimes is called into question.”

(An unidentified foreign ministry official in The Himalayan Times, 23 Feb.)

“Not democratization but professionalizing Nepal Army should be said. To say democratization is to break the chain of command in the army and politicizing it.’

(Retired Gen. Balananda Sharma of secretariat of special committee on integrating, resettling and monitoring of Maoist combatants, Naya Patrika, 23 Feb.)
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FIRST SNOW LEOPARD SIGHTED IN SHIVPURI

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Snow leopard was sighted for the first time at Nagarjung/Shibpuri National Park north of the capital, Kantipur reports.
Chief Warden Gopal Prakash said,” We can now confidently say there are snow leopards in the park.”
The park in 12 km north of Ratna Park.
The snow leopard is on an endangered list.
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GLAZED GLASSES STILL NOT REMOVED

Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: Glazed glasses haven’t been removed from vehicles despite an edict of the supreme court, Annapurna Post reports.
Maoist Chairman Prachanda, Vice-chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarau, all ministers in government, Army Chief Chataman Singh Gurung and some generals still move around in vehicles with glazed glasses.
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NO NAC MOVE TO ACCEPT RETURNEDD MONEY
Kathmandu, 23 Feb.:: Nepal Airlines Corporation, it appears, is not interested to get back the money, which was sent as commitment fee to Airbus, despite the aircraft giant’s willingness to return the amount, The Himalayan Times reports .

NAC had dispatched $75,000 to Airbus as lock-up fee for buying two wide-body aircraft. Nonetheless, the aircraft purchase deal ran into controversy leading to six top NAC officials’ suspension. Airbus on February 3 wrote to NAC chairman asking the latter to confirm the bank account to which the airline company could send the money back. But even after three weeks NAC has not responded.

Airbus had said in the letter that ‘with some regret that NAC is presently not able to proceed with the full purchase agreement as required under the MoU and in consideration of the goodwill between Airbus and NAC, it decided to refund the commitment fee’.

The letter was signed by Christophe Mourey, senior vice president.

NAC Chairman Kishore Thapa, who is also Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, told THT that the Airbus letter had been forwarded to NAC Managing Director Kul Bahadur Limbu to ‘preview and act on it’. But Limbu is out of the country. Kiran Chhetri, who is officiating as NAC MD, confessed ignorance about the issue and refused to comment on whether NAC has done anything to confirm the bank account and facilitate the return of the commitment fee.

Sources within the corporation, however, said no action had been taken on the letter at all, except that it was brought to notice of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority.

Interestingly, CIAA said the authorised executive or designated authority within the corporation only has the right to send the details of the same account from where the money was sent to Airbus.

“The case is sub judice at the Special Court on the basis of the $75,000 being laundered but if Airbus is willing to return the amount unconditionally, anyone can send the confirmation letter,”

said CIAA Spokesperson Ishwori Paudel. He added that CIAA had no objection to start the process to get the money back.

Bhimarjun Acharya, who is the legal counsel to Sugat Ratna Kansakar, former executive chairman of NAC, said there was ‘absolutely no problem in refunding the money’, as the money belongs to NAC, although it is being discussed in court.
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COUNTERVAILING INDIAN DUTIES HURTING

Kathmandu, 23 Feb. 23: India has continued to impose countervailing duty (CVD) on Nepali pashmina items, despite promising to revoke it a year ago, severely hurting export of this prime Nepali product to the southern neighbor, Republica reports.

“Indian customs continue to charge 10 percent CVD or Rs 180, whichever is higher, per piece of pashmina shawls, scarves, mufflers and other wool and fine animal hair products," said Pushpa Man Shrestha, president of Nepal Pashmina Industries Association (NPIA).

Unfortunate for the industry, the duty continues to remain in place despite the fact that India had promised to revoke CVD on all Nepali exports in a bid to give boost to bilateral trade, as promised in the bilateral trade treaty. The Indian government had expressed commitment to remove CVD during the visit of the former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal last year.

India, however, has waived off duty on readymade garments, another product which was hit hard by such a barrier.

Given the situation, pashmina entrepreneurs have knocked on the doors of Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) to take initiative in raising the issue in the upcoming Nepal-India inter-governmental sub-committee (IGSC) meeting - a joint secretary level trade meeting. The IGSC is scheduled to be held from Feb 28 to March 1 in the Indian capital.

The NPIA made a formal request to MoCS last week, requesting the latter to take strong steps to make India live up to its promise by waiving off CVD on pashmina products, cashmere and jersey, swallow cardigan, waist-coat, pullovers and similar products.

According to Shrestha, India has slapped CVD on products that are covered in eight-digit harmonized system (HS) codes like 6214-20-10, 6214-20-20,6214-20-30, 6214-20-90, 6110-1100, 6110-1120, 6110-1190, 6110-1200 and 6110-1900. These codes include items produced from wool and fine animal hair.

NPIA General Secretary Vijay Kumar Dugar, who is involved in export of pashmina products to India, said Nepali pashmina has lost its competitive edge due to imposition of exorbitant charge in the name of CVD.

“Imposition of Rs 180 per piece CVD is very high as we supply pashmina muffler in the Indian market at Rs 800 per unit,” Dugar said, stating that exporters were paying as much as 22.5 percent of factory price as CVD.

“The duty has eroded our competitiveness, affecting our exports."

Records of Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC) show that Nepal´s pashmina exports dropped by 11.3 percent to Rs 683.71 million during the first half of the current fiscal 2010/11, compared to the figures of same period last year. Nepal had exported pashmina items worth Rs 1.31 billion during the fiscal year 2009/10.

Interestingly, Commerce Secretary Purushottam Ojha expressed surprise over the continuation of CVD on pashmina items. “The request of pashmina exporters took us by surprise, as there should not be CVD on any exportable items to India," he said.

Ojha said the Ministry would take up the issue with India seriously.
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10-YEAR SAVE VULTURE PLAN
Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: The government on Tuesday launched a 10-year strategy to ensure a healthy population of the globally threatened vulture species in the country.
Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction (SAVE), a consortium represented by different government and non-government organisatons and international experts working to save the endangered vulture species from extinction, was launched on Monday.
It will be instrumental in campaigning and fund-raising to save the birds.
Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC) Secretary Yuba Raj Bhusal said at a programme here that the SAVE consortium is a timely and strategic step to save the population of three critically endangered species of gyps along with five other threatened species.
"We are ready to develop partnership with neighbouring countries, particularly in South Asia, for a trans-boundary approach to landscape management to save these gyps," he said.
Of the nine vulture species found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, eight are found in the country. Of these eight species in Nepal, four are critically endangered. Since 1990, the vulture population across the region, including Nepal, has declined to 97 percent, the major reason being use of the anti-inflammatory drug named Diclofenac.
Juddha Bahadur Gurung, member secretary at the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), said the vulture population across the region is declining significantly due to inadequate conservation efforts by the government.
"The SAVE consortium brings all partners concerned on a common platform to work for the conservation of vultures in the country and the region," he said. Last week, a similar consortium was launched in Delhi, India.
SAVE Consortium Chairman Ian Newton told the audience that though the vulture population is declining across the region, the rate of decrease is less in Nepal compared to other countries as Nepal has introduced innovative and participatory approach for the conservation of these birds.
"Though the use of Diclofenac is banned in countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and India since 2006, the illegal use of this drug is still rampant, threatening long-term survival of vultures," he said.
In Nepal, a vulture breeding centre and six vulture restaurants have been established to encourage speedy revival of vulture numbers in the country.
Recently, Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) with support of the government and other local partners declared 'Vulture Safe Zones' in different parts of the country. BCN Chief Executive Officer Hum Gurung said 27 'Important Bird Areas' have been identified in the country that harbour different important bird species including vultures.
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GOVT. TO RESCUE NEPALIS FROM LIBYA
Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: - The Government on Tuesday stepped in to rescue its citizens from internally disturbed Libya and asked its Cairo based mission, which also looks after Libya, to take steps to bring back those affected by the ongoing Libyan uprising, Anil Giri writes in The Kathmandu Post. .
Following instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MoFA), the Cairo based Nepali mission has sought the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's help to issue temporary entry visas to Nepali citizens who will come back from Libya to Egypt. Libya and Egypt share a common border and it take nine hours to travel form Libyan capital Tripoli to the Egyptian capital Cairo by road. The travel costs approximately US $ 500 per head.
“We have requested the Egyptian Foreign Ministry to issue entry visas to those who want to come back from Libya. We are collecting names and contact details of Nepali nationals wishing to come back. As soon as they come to Cairo, they will be airlifted to Kathmandu,” Nepali Ambassador to Egypt Shyam Lal Tabdar told the Post from Cairo over the phone. “We are hopeful that Nepalis will get entry visa at this crucial juncture.”
The majority of Nepali workers in Libya is working as construction or industrial labourers. “As yet, we have data on 3,064 Nepalis working in Libya,” said Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dhananjaya Jha who also looks after Middle East.
Tabdar claimed that local Libyan contractor companies will bear the expenditure incurred in travelling from Libya to Cairo and on to Kathmandu. “The companies could not withdraw their money from banks due to the protests. As soon as banks open, they will arrange money and hand the money over to those Nepalis who want to return to Nepal,” said Tabdar.
It is too early to predict how many Nepalis will return from Libya but some six hundred workers working in Construction Company in Darnah, and some in a sporadic way, have requested they be bailed out as the situation is worsening by the day.
“We will make arrangements for those who are affected and want to come back,” MoFA Assistant Spokesperson Harish Chandra Ghimire said. "The government feels its responsibility towards its citizens.”
A MoFA statement read, “We are concerned over the violent protests taking place in Libya. As of now, no casualty has been reported to the Nepali nationals. We are constantly receiving feedback from our Cairo based mission and other sources about the condition of Nepali citizens. We have already initiated shifting affected Nepalis from Libya to secure places, particularly Egypt. MoFA, Ministry of Labour and Transport Management, foreign employment agencies, Libyan employment agencies and the Nepali mission in Cairo are working closely.”
Jha said, “Some Nepalis have complained that they were displaced from their factories after protesters started hiding there. We have received reports that some Nepalis are languishing and sheltering in a local madarsa,” said Jha.
Another 44 Nepali nationals working in Ramco Company in Benghazi city are languishing in a camp facing with food shortage. They have asked to be rescued immediately, said Human Rights Organization in a statement.
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OPINION


SECRET DEAL AND RIFT IN UML





Kathmandu,23 Feb.: 4 The uncertainty over the expansion of the cabinet continues to be the topic of discussion in the Kathmandu political circle as the two factions within the ruling UML are out to flex their muscle over the secret 7-point deal inked by the chairmen of the two communist parties - the UML and UCPN-Maoist, Narayaan Upadhaya writs in The Rising Nepal.
No doubt that the secret deal was instrumental in giving the nation a new government after a caretaker prime minister presided over the government for a record seven months. While the election of the UML chair to the post of prime minister has ended the uncertainty, it has also invited a fresh round of confusion and chaos.
Trouble ahead
The post-secret deal has put the nation’s politics in a spin. The newly-appointed prime minister is under immense pressure to discard the secret deal and refrain from handing over the Home Ministry and other security-related portfolios to the Maoists. As he has failed to expand his cabinet, largely because of the tremendous pressure being exerted on him from within his own party, his aides are even saying that the prime minister might have to step down if he continues to receive no support from his party.
The task of the prime minister has been made all the more difficult as his main ally, the Maoists, have so far not joined the government in the aftermath of their failure to get the portfolios demanded as per the secret deal. Fed up with the bickering inside the UML, the Maoists are now threatening to stay outside the government.
Many within the ruling UML say that the present situation in which Khanal has landed is nothing but a result of his past doing. He was instrumental in dismantling the majority government of Madhav Kumar Nepal. He had then claimed that the Nepal-led government was ineffective in guiding the peace and constitution-making processes in the face of protests by the Maoists.
He had then declared that, if elected prime minister, he would form a national consensus government under his leadership. But the irony of the situation is that he has failed to cobble up enough support from even his own party in expanding the cabinet. The secret deal was struck to elect Khanal as the new prime minister in place of his own partyman, former Prime Minister Nepal.
Stung by the deception of his own party chairman, the Madhav Kumar Nepal-KP Oli combo fired salvos against Khanal for working to push the Maoist agenda through the secret deal. They said that the deal was against the achievements made by the popular people’s movement of 2006.
They even berated the Maoists for deceiving their party chairman by luring him with the post of prime minister. They have now openly labeled the deal as an act of deception, even though Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, in his televised maiden address to the nation, termed the deal as a path-breaking move in safeguarding the achievements of the epochal revolutions and people’s movement.
In the same address, he called upon the other political parties to join the government so that his majority government could have the colour of national consensus. But the way Khanal has come to be the prime minister has irritated the other political parties as well, not to mention a powerful faction of his own party.
Although the two sides that inked the controversial secret deal has made some improvements, scrapping some of the very objectionable points such as formation of a separate security body for the Maoist combatants and sharing the government leadership on a rotational basis between the two parties, the new move too has not gotten well with the other political parties.
One of the key players of the peace process, the Nepali Congress, has declared that it will not join the government that has come into being on the basis of the secret deal. The party says it is totally against consensus politics, the interim constitution and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. However, the Congress has hinted that it could rethink about joining the government if the secret deal is scrapped.
The ruling UML has not been able to find ways to end the uncertainty because the detractors of Prime Minister Khanal within the party will not allow him to offer the Home Ministry and security-related ministerial portfolios to the former rebels. Despite his many attempts to appease his partymen, the prime minister has been ineffective in convincing his rivals. As a result, he has drawn flak from all quarters.
The Congress-led democratic alliance and the Nepal-Oli group are dead against presenting the security-related ministerial portfolios to the Maoists for fear that the Maoists might bolster their position against the democratic forces. They allege that even though the Maoist combatants have been transferred to the Army Integration Special Committee, the Maoists are claiming that the command and control of the 19,500 combatants are still with the party. Another contentious issue is the actual number of combatants to be integrated, which is necessary for the successful culmination of the peace process and writing the constitution. The Nepal Army and some parties want the PLA cadres to join the army on an individual basis.
Polarisation
In the meantime, the prime minister’s hope of luring in a few other parties into the government has been further shattered. The two Madhes-based parties - the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum and Nepal Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party, Nepal - have declared that they will not join the government that "came through a secret deal between the two communist parties." These are the parties that had earlier supported the Khanal-Prachanda alliance in the formation of the new government.
These parties have also been making allegations that once they join the government, they would only be silent spectators while the Maoists and a section of the UML have all the sway over the government.
The Khanal-led government is in trouble, because the secret deal it signed with the Maoists has only precipitated sharp polarisation between the Khanal-Prachand alliance and non-communist parties.

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