NEPAL’S LEAD ROLE IN LDC MOVEMENT Kathmandu, 15 Dec. :: Nepal took over the role of the Coordinator of the Consultative Group of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the World Trade Organization from today Saturday], RSS reports.. Addressing the meeting convened to handover the Coordinatorship, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, WTO and other International Organizations in Geneva, Shanker D. Bairagi, thanked LDCs delegations for the trust and goodwill shown to Nepal. The Ambassador underlined that the year ahead was challenging as external economic situation is not easy and the scenario in the WTO is not much encouraging especially for the LDCs. He stressed on the need of working hard to ensure that LDC issues are not sidelined and to remind the WTO community once again that delivering concrete results for the most vulnerable countries is a moral imperative and an obligation emanating from past WTO decisions. Bairagi emphasized that the LDCs Group should continue to pursue the longstanding agendas that include the operation of duty-free-quota-free market access for LDCs; simple, transparent and facilitative rules of origin; resolution of cotton issues and operation of Services Waiver decision. The Permanent Representative stated that the LDCs are bound together by common characteristics of vulnerability and being in special need of external support measures to be able to trade and develop. He underscored the importance of solidarity and common voice of the Group to advance LDCs´ common issues. LDCs delegations congratulated Nepal on being elected as the new LDCs Coordinator in WTO and expressed hope that the Nepalese delegation will effectively lead the Group. The LDCs Consultative Group is the key forum of LDCs Members and Observers of WTO to discuss and form a common position on all pertinent issues in WTO. Nepal takes over the Coordinatorship from Haiti at an important time ahead of the Ninth Ministerial Conference (MC9) scheduled to take place in Bali Indonesia in the first week of December 2013. Nepal advisory group coordinator of LDC in WTO Nepal has been the coordinator of an advisory group of the least developed countries in the World Trade Organization since December 14. At the responsibility handover ceremony organized in Geneva, Nepal´s permanent representative to the UN and other international missions, Shankar Das Bairagi expressed gratitude to the representatives from the least developed countries for their support and good will to Nepal. Saying that foreign economy was unfavorable and the WTO too was not in a condition to support least developed countries, he, however, assured that the poor countries would not be marginalized. Similarly, Mr Bairagi stressed the poverty alleviation and expansion of the access sans customs in the least developed countries through trade. Nnnn BHUTANESE COLLECTS ILLEGAL NEPALI CITIZENSHIP Kathmandu, 15 Dec.:: A Bhutanese national, currently teaching at Siddhartha Higher Secondary School in Damak in Jhapa district, has been found receiving Nepali citizenship from Rautahat district administration, RSS reports from Daaamak.. Thakur Neupane has also been accused of molesting the students as well. Neupane was appointed as the secondary level teacher for math and science from the beginning of this academic session. The Bhutanese national has been handed over to the Rautahat police for necessary investigation and action against him. It is said that Neupane had received the Nepali citizenship from Rautahat district naming Chandralal Neupane as his father nnnn