MILITARY STRUCTURE FOR MAOIST OUTFIT

UPENDRA YADAV, PM KHANAL TALKS

Kathmandu, 14 April: MJF Chairman Upendra Yadav held discussions with Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal Wednesday evening as the entry of the terai-based party has been delayed for weeks even after a party decision to join the communist dominated government.
The party is demanding control of four powerful instead of three already offered.
Discussions will continue Thursday.
Maoist standing committee meets Thursday as an adamant Prime Minister Khanal continued to hold on to the home ministry portfolio demanded by Maoists who are putting intense pressure on the government chief to award the security related ministry to UCPN (Maoist).
Secretary CP Gajurel Wednesday threatened to recall four members of its government team if the request isn’t met.
Khanal had earlier agreed the ministry to Maoists in a secret 7-poont deal with Chairman Prachanda; Khanal’s UML opposed the 7-point agreement.
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TWO NEPALI DRIVERS KILLED IN KUWAIT

Kathmandu, 14 April: Two Nepali drivers with Regional Gate Company were killed in accidents in Kuwait Wednesday.
The dead were identified as Shekhar Shrestha and Hiramani Chaudhary by Nepal embassy.
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MILITARY STRUCTURE FOR NEW MAOIST BODY

Kathmandu, 14 April: The Maoists have given military structure to their recently formed People´s Volunteers, a new, combative youth force formed to launch their ´people´s revolt´, Kiran Pun writes in Republica.

The volunteers bureau has six commands and six departments, exactly what the party had during the insurgency period.

Uma Bhujel will take charge of the Central Command, Jaga Prasad Sharma the Western Command, Shrawan Yadav the Madhes Command, Himaldhan Rai Eastern Command, Ganesh Man Pun the Special Command and Deeplip Prajapati the party wings command.

According to sources, plans are afoot to form divisions, brigades and other units that resemble the party´s organization during the war period.

During a recent cadre-training program, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had stated that the party would form a combative youth force comprising over 500,000 members to complete the ´revolution´.

The party has already formed a 59-member People´s Volunteers Bureau led by party hardline leader Netra Bikram Chand, and will soon form the state, district and local committees.

According to party leaders, the volunteers are all set to launch cultural programs in various cities till 8 May.

The Maoist party has stated that the force was formed to deploy party cadres in three sectors: security, production and construction.

The bureau will chart out a plan for each of the 14 Maoist states and 75 districts.

"The Bureau has given authority to the state and district chiefs concerned to prepare models for the mobilization of volunteers by May 8," Ramdeep Acharya, a CC member, told Reupblica.

"We will have 89 plans of action including 14 plans for 14 states and 75 plans for 75 districts,” he said

According to him, the party will mobilize cadres and engineers for the construction of roads, bridges, buildings and irrigation projects, among other things, and medical doctors to launch health camps.

Last Monday, the bureau decided to launch a separate publication covering the activities of the volunteers.

As per the decision, bureau chief Chand, who is close to Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, will take charge of the party´s finances, while Shakti Bahadur Basnet will take charge of the publicity department. Similarly, Devendra Poudel will be chief of the training department.

Basnet is close to party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, while Paudel is close to party Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai.
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EXPORTERS HOPE US WILL OFFER GSP FOR NEPALI PRODUCTS
Kathmandu, 14 April:: Exporters hope that the first Joint Council Meeting between Nepal and US after Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) will consider Nepal’s interest on formation of Market Access Committee for easier access of Nepali exports to the US market, Eliza Manandhar reports in The Himalayan Times..

“Considering Nepal’s interest, the foremost request should be the formation of Market Access Committee or Sub–Committee that will be responsible for easy access of Nepali products to the US markets,” said Uday Raj Pandey, president of Garment Association of Nepal (GAN).

Duty-free access to Nepali goods would be a major issue to be discussed in the agreement. “The meeting should assess the prevailing situation of the US Generalised System of Preference (GSP) to Nepal’s export in relation to the preference coverage, preference utilisation and erosion of the preference margins,” Pandey said, adding that for reciprocal and mutually-agreed negotiations, Nepal can in return offer investment opportunities to US.

GAN has also requested to lobby for the approval of petition for selected apparel products, said Pandey. “We are hopeful that the council meeting will lobby for the approval of the petition of the request for products eligibility for the US GSP, submitted to the United Nations Trade Representatives (USTR) by GAN through the Nepali Embassy in Washington in 2010,” he added.

Pandey also said Nepal needs GSP facility as it is an LDC. According to Pandey, being a Least Developed Country (LDC), we do have trade problems. However, through GSP facilitation to our most exportable products that is pashmina and garment, we can further the declining export of these products due to duty on its export. Garment exporters are hopeful to get much awaited GSP facility along with the TIFA on April 15.

Along with obvious benefits from entering into TIFA, Nepal can generate market access to the US and can get the access to much-needed technical assistance also.

Nepali exporters will have a platform to voice their problems and concerns to the American government. After TIFA, Nepal will get an access to the forum where it can take support from the US government regarding the export problems.

GAN has also suggested the government to lobby for the recognition of the special needs of Nepal’s trade problems as LDC. Nepali exports should get market access to the USA under LDC status of the US GSP. “Nepal also needs technical assistance and capacity building,” he said.

TIFA is only framework agreement to discuss and resolve trade and investment issues. It serves as political and legal commitment to enhance bilateral trade and investment and paves way to a full fledge bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and investment agreement.

The United States has TIFAs with countries at different levels of development and trade and investment interests. US is one of the key markets for Nepali products.

To boost exports Nepal is signing TIFA with US on Friday. The deputy prime minister and finance minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari yesterday evening left for US to sign the TIFA.
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