DPM Shrestha briefs SG Ban on Nepal's politics

THT ONLINE

NEW YORK: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha assured the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon that dialogues and consensus building endeavours pursued by the political parties will provide the solution to all the outstanding issues of Nepal.

Briefing SG Ban on the latest political development of Nepal during a bilateral meeting on Tuesday, Shrestha said that the technical part of the peace process, i.e. the integration of former Maoist combatants, is going to complete very soon.

The Secretary-General had expressed his concerns over the latest state of political development and the process in Nepal.

The Deputy Prime Minister appreciated the role played by the United Nations, particularly the UNMIN, in the initial phase

of the peace process. He also thanked the Secretary-General for his keen interest and continued support in the peace process of Nepal. The Secretary-General briefed on the major development agenda being pursued by the United Nations at present and asked for Nepal’s keen involvement. Shrestha said Nepal would continue to be actively engaged in pursuing the interests of the developing countries, including the LDCs.

Views were also exchanged on the development of Nepal towards the achievement of MDGs and other internationally agreed development goals. The Secretary-General thanked for and appreciated the continued professional contribution of Nepal in the United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Shrestha thanked the Secretary-General and expressed Nepal’s unflinching commitment towards international peacekeeping through the contribution of troops.

The Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha said that Nepal was committed to the development of Lumbini and informed that the High-level Steering Committee for Lumbini development was making all endeavours to carry this project forward.

In this respect, the support of the Secretary-General and his active participation in the international conference to be organised in Lumbini in near future would remain invaluable, he said. While appreciating efforts of Nepal for the development of Lumbini and sharing his willingness to be a part of the process and desire to be present on the occasion, the Secretary-General underlined the importance of its being a Nepal-led process for its success.