PRESIDENTIAL INTERVENTION WILL BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL WARNS SHRESTHA UPDATE Kathmandu, 19 Nov.: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayankaji Shrestha has said that it would be unconstitutional if President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav obstructs the budget, RSS reports from Banepa.. Speaking at Banepa Town Convention of the UCPN (Maoist) at Banepa on Monday, Minister Shrestha said the UCPN (Maoist) wants that the budget should come on consensus. He also warned that a risky situation would come if transition period prolongs. Stating that election could be held in April if consensus was forged, the Deputy prime Minister said that leadership of a government was not an important thing, but political parties now have been focused on it. He added the government is ready to forge consensus in a package as achievements made so far could be preserved through consensus. The convention will also elect a new leadership. Nnnn OBAMA OFFERS PRAISE, PRESSURE IN MYANMAR Kathmanddu, 19 Nov.: Barack Obama became the first serving U.S. president to visit Myanmar on Monday, trying during a whirlwind six-hour trip to strike a balance between praising the government's progress in shaking off military rule and pressing for more reform, Reuters reports from Yangon.. Obama, who was greeted by enthusiastic crowds in the former capital, Yangon, met President Thein Sein, a former junta member who has spearheaded reforms since taking office in March 2011, and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "I've shared with him the fact that I recognize this is just the first steps on what will be a long journey," Obama, with Thein Sein at his side, told reporters after their talks. "But we think a process of democratic and economic reform here in Myanmar that has been begun by the president is one that can lead to incredible development opportunities," he added, using the country name preferred by the government and former junta, rather than Burma, which is used in the United States. Thein Sein, speaking in Burmese with an interpreter translating his remarks, responded that the two sides would move forward, "based on mutual trust, respect and understanding". "During our discussions, we also reached agreement for the development of democracy in Myanmar and for promotion of human rights to be aligned with international standards," he added. Obama's Southeast Asian trip, less than two weeks after his re-election, is aimed at showing how serious he is about shifting the U.S. strategic focus eastwards as America winds down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The so-called "Asia pivot" is also meant to counter China's rising influence. The trip to Myanmar is also intended to highlight what the White House has touted as a major foreign policy achievement -- its success in pushing the country's generals to enact changes that have unfolded with surprising speed over the past year. Tens of thousands of well-wishers, including children waving American and Burmese flags, had lined Obama's route from the airport, cheering him as he went by. Obama met fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, who led the struggle against military rule and is now a lawmaker, at the lakeside home where she spent years under house arrest. Addressing reporters afterwards, Suu Kyi thanked Obama for supporting the political reform process. But, speaking so softly she was barely audible at times, she cautioned that the most difficult time was "when we think that success is in sight". "Then we have to be very careful that we are not lured by a mirage of success and that we are working towards genuine success for our people," she said. Obama recalled Suu Kyi's years of captivity and said she was "an icon of democracy who has inspired people not just in this country but around the world". "Today marks the next step in a new chapter between the United States and Burma," he said. Before he left, the two embraced and he kissed her on the cheek. Earlier, Obama made an unscheduled stop at the landmark Shwedagon Pagoda, where he, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their entire entourage, secret service agents included, went barefoot up the giant stone staircase. The United States has softened sanctions and removed a ban on most imports from Myanmar in response to reforms already undertaken, but it has set conditions for the full normalization of relations, including efforts to end ethnic conflict. In recent months, sectarian violence between majority Buddhists and the Rohingya Muslim minority in the western state of Rakhine has killed at least 167 people. Many in Myanmar consider the Rohingya Muslims to be illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and the government does not recognize them as citizens. A Reuters investigation into the wave of sectarian assaults painted a picture of organized attacks against the Muslim community. "For too long, the people of this state, including ethnic Rakhine, have faced crushing poverty and persecution. But there's no excuse for violence against innocent people," Obama told a packed audience for a speech at Yangon University. "The Rohingya ... hold within themselves the same dignity as you do, and I do. National reconciliation will take time, but for the sake of our common humanity, and for the sake of this country's future, it's necessary to stop incitement and to stop violence," he said. Thein Sein, in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week, promised to tackle the root causes of the problem, and Obama said he welcomed "the government's commitment to address the issues of injustice, and accountability, and humanitarian access and citizenship". Some human rights groups had objected to the visit to Myanmar, saying Obama was rewarding the government of the former pariah state for a job that was incomplete. Speaking in Thailand on the eve of his visit, Obama denied he was going to offer his "endorsement" or that his trip was premature. Aides said Obama was determined to "lock in" the democratic changes under way in Myanmar but would press for further action, including the freeing of all political prisoners. A senior U.S. official said Obama would announce the resumption of U.S. aid programmes in Myanmar during his visit, anticipating assistance of $170 million in fiscal 2012 and 2013, but this, too, would be dependent on further reforms. In a move clearly timed to show goodwill, the authorities began to release dozens more political detainees on Monday, including Myint Aye, arguably the most prominent dissident left in its gulag. Despite human rights concerns, the White House sees Myanmar as a legacy-building success story of Obama's policy of seeking engagement with U.S. enemies. In his Yangon speech, he appealed to North Korea to take a similar path. "To the leadership of North Korea, I've offered a choice: let go of your nuclear weapons, and choose the path of peace and progress. If you do, you'll find an extended hand from the United States of America," he said. nnnn OPINION NEPAL SUFFERING NATIONAL HUMILIATION Kathmandu, 19 Nov.: The symbiotic relationship that exists between India, Nepal and China can neither be belittled nor neglected or disturbed if regional stability in South Asia is to be maintained. Nepal’s national interests are integrally linked to the prospect of lasting peace and stability in South Asia, former Prime Minister Kirtinidhi Bista writes in Republica. For this reason alone Nepal must always be vigilant, proactive where necessary, and try to maintain the delicate balance in its relations with the two emerging regional powers of Asia. For Nepal there is no alternative to including its next-door neighbors as common partners in its development efforts while keeping the door open for other countries interested in the region’s peace and stability. For the world-at-large, too, it will have to pay dearly if any attempt, whatsoever, were made to tilt the balance for the benefit of any one country. Nepal is linked by its sacred soil with India and China, as well as by rivers flowing from China through Nepal to India. These factors, more than anything else, establish the ground for unbreakable relationship among the three. This cordial relationship has to continue for the benefit of the vast South Asian region as well as China. To talk only of the interest of a particular country is unrealistic, impractical and short-sighted. The underlying causes of the 1962 war between India and China should always be kept in mind. Nepal, for her part, has been making modest efforts within her means to consolidate and strengthen the compact that exists between the unequal partners of Asia. Fully realizing the fact that Nepal’s rich natural resources and its development not only benefits the country, but also others countries in the region, King Birendra had proposed the development of Nepali hydropower for the benefit of the South Asian region. The proposal that was floated at the tenth Colombo Plan Consultative Conference held in Kathmandu in 1978 was accepted, and even appreciated by US President Jimmy Carter at the time. Any country looking to secure a bright future has to first mind its business and that is where its national interests come into play. In this connection Nepal has to face a tough challenge of not only safeguarding its national interest but also creating a stable and peaceful situation favorable for the all-round development of the country, in close cooperation with her fast-developing neighbors in India and China. It also has to collaborate with the outside world that is keen to invest in productive sectors like hydropower and in environmental protection, which is now an issue of global concern. Nepal-India relations have been extensive and close in domains of religion, culture, trade and commerce. Nepal has always tried to accommodate India’s wishes and demands, even at a cost to its national interest, for the maintenance of neighborly relations. The river projects like Koshi, Gandaki and Mahakali (last one has not been started) have been massively beneficial to India, but only marginally beneficial for Nepal. Though India has been dominant in its dealings with Nepal because of its strength, size and position, causing many misgivings in Nepal, Nepali leaders have patiently absorbed such embarrassments with the hope and confidence that India will one day be cognizant of the desired state of relations between two independent and sovereign nations. Such a state of affairs where one side has to keep conceding is neither desirable nor beneficial for harmonious bilateral relations. In the context of striking a balance between its two giant neighbors, Nepal has not only been trying to strengthen its relations with China but also to involve it in economic development. It will not be out of place to mention here the various initiatives taken by Nepal to bring China closer. King Mahendra’s contribution to China-Nepal relations has already been inscribed in golden letters. Kathmandu-Kodari highway (later named Arniko highway) and ‘1960 border agreement’ with that country are sterling examples of Nepal’s farsighted thinking in this direction. Apart from road construction, several industrial projects were set up with a view to making Nepali economy self-reliant and sustainable. It is sad to reflect that in the pretext of privatization these important projects were thrown away like rotten eggs and decimated mercilessly by those in power after the resurrection of multiparty democratic system in the country. China-Nepal relations have entered a new era of understanding, cooperation and expansion. However, things have not worked a way one would have liked in the conduct of tripartite relations among Nepal, India and China. A single country’s interest has overshadowed the legitimate rights and interests of an independent and sovereign country, souring the excellent tripartite relations from time to time. Can Nepal ever forget India’s forceful imposition of blockade of essential commodities to Nepal, citing an invalid clause of the outdated and unequal 1950 treaty, and inflicting so much pain and suffering on the common people? Nepal also watched in pain and disbelief the stalwart leaders of developed countries who closed their eyes during this sad episode. These leaders have always been taking credit for championing the cause of international law, justice and equality of nations but have kept quiet in the international arena for fear of antagonizing a country directly involved in this episode. How long Nepalis will have to bear the brunt of national humiliation, instability and insecurity, nobody can say. Right now Nepal faces a dearth of courageous political leaders who can display statesmanship, not only to handle the fast-deteriorating situation in the country with a sense of responsibility and dedication, but also to convince and persuade outside leaders to listen to Nepal’s legitimate and genuine demands for freedom, independence and development. This task that has to be carried out without creating any further obstacles or complications through the end of mutual recrimination, distrust and acrimony, although such a development is unlikely as we speak. National interests can never be ignored, let alone abandoned, as long as Nepali people keep their presence intact nationally and internationally. Refreshing, elaborating, interfacing, advancing and adjusting national interests is crucial for the country’s very existence. Any step to undermine and hurt the values and contents of national interests by those in power deserves not only condemnation but also exclusion of those actors from independent and proud Nepali society. This is the first of a two-part article. The second part will be published coming Sunday. Nnnn ________________________________________