India Sends Envoy to Press Nepal Over Elections, Instability By Michael Heath
Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- India is sending a senior diplomat to press Nepal to set a new date for elections amid concern the postponement of the vote in the Himalayan nation will lead to instability along the border. Special Envoy Shyam Saran, a former foreign secretary and ambassador to Nepal, will hold talks with the nation's seven main parties following last week's postponement of the Nov. 22 ballot, India's state-run broadcaster Doordarshan reported. He will pledge India's assistance to Nepal, while insisting elections are held at the earliest possible date, Doordarshan said on its Web site. India and Nepal last month agreed to boost police patrols along the border to prevent attacks that could disrupt the vote. India, which receives almost 54 percent of Nepal's exports, says it's concerned about potential political instability in the nation of 28 million people. The election was scheduled under a November 2006 peace accord, which saw rebels end their armed struggle for a republic, return 30,000 fighters to camps under United Nations supervision and join the interim government. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) quit the Cabinet on Sept. 18 and threatened street protests after other parties in the coalition government rejected its demands for Parliament to immediately declare a republic and introduce a proportional representation voting system. The election is for a National Assembly that will write a new constitution for the nation and decide the fate of the monarchy, currently headed by King Gyanendra. Political Deadlock Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said yesterday the political deadlock will end within a few days, Nepalnews.com reported. He earlier met with Rookmangud Katwal, the army chief of staff, to discuss security in the nation, according to Nepalnews.com. Katwal said there was increased activity by armed groups in the southern Terai region, one of Nepal's main trade routes to India. Maoist leader Puspa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, said yesterday the party may press for a new government if no consensus is found on declaring a republic and introducing a new voting system during a special session of Parliament tomorrow. ``The interim Parliament is very much capable of forging an agreement among the ruling parties on major political issues,'' Nepalnews.com cited Prachanda as saying yesterday. ``But if that doesn't happen, then the seven party alliance could break.'' Referendum on Republic He said the Maoists are prepared to discuss alternatives to the current Parliament declaring a republic, including ``a referendum to decide the fate of the monarchy,'' Nepalnews.com reported. Prachanda spoke in the country's far west, it said. Koirala says the new parliament must vote on the issue for the change to have popular legitimacy. Located between India and China, Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, where about 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. It is home to Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak, which attracts climbers from around the globe. More than 13,000 people were killed in the civil war, which damaged the tourism-dependent economy. Last Updated: October 9, 2007 21:38 EDT <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=a2czh90LAxEA&refer=\ india <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=a2czh90LAxEA&refer=\ india> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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