DPM SHRESTHA MEETS CHINESE COUNTERPART IN BEIJING Kathmandu, 18 Sept.: : Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha today called on Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jeichi at latter's office, Lekhnath Pandey reports in The Himalayan Times from Beijing.. The duo discussed a range of bilateral issues, including Chinese investment in West Seti hydropower project, Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement(BIPPA), constructing an airport in Pokhara and East-West high hill road. They also discussed regional and global issues, including reforms of the United Nations, better cooperation of SAARC and China and China's recent dispute with Japan over Diaoyu Islands. Deputy PM Shrestha was here in Beijing since September 14 in connection with opening up a four-day Nepali cultural festival, which was held for the first time in mainland China. Shrestha told that the meeting was very "comprehensive and productive" in reviewing entire gamut of bilateral cooperation. "Particularly, discussions were held cooperation in five areas: investment, trade, tourism, infrastructural development and security." During the meeting,the Chinese side inquired about the progress on the draft of BIPPA, which China had forwarded twice to Nepal in 2011 and early this year. On the occasion, deputy PM Shrestha implicitly urged Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jeichi to make necessary arrangement for an early visit of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to China. nnnn STALEMATE CAN END IN A WEEK SAYS SUSHIL KOIRALA Kathmandu, 18 Sept.: Nepali Congress President Shushil Koirala has expressed the confidence that the political stalemate will end within a week, RSS reports from Jankurdham. At a press meet organized on Tuesday by the Nepal Press Union Dhanusha, he said concrete attempts will be made for the same in a couple of days. On a query, he said there is no difficulty within Nepali Congress in leading the government. Saying that end of stalemate is possible from fresh elections; he said the restoration of CA will add constitutional, political and legal complexities. It is natural for the president to express worries or to discuss as it is constitutional and any party to warn the president terming it as interference is anti- constitutional, said Koirala. He also accused the UCPN (Maoist) of publicizing falsehood when the country is headed towards being a failed state. nnnn