KATHMANDU: The Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, Lilianne Ploumen, today said her country would reconsider choosing Nepal as a priority country for its official development assistance, which was stopped after the royal takeover in February 2005 in Nepal.

Addressing a press meet in Kathmandu, Ploumen said she found out damage caused by the quakes to be huge and assured that the possible Dutch annual official grant would help Nepal overcome the post-disaster challenges.

The Netherlands delisted Nepal from its priority countries for annual development grant, referring to the lack of transparency after then king Gyanendra took over power in February 2005.

“Now, time has come to get (Nepal) in the priority list. We will be considering to this effect,” Ploumen said at the press conference after meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey and visiting some quake-affected areas in the Valley today. Earlier, Ministry Pandey had requested Minister Ploumen to include Nepal in the list of priority countries eligible for the Dutch Development Cooperation Assitance.

Minister Ploumen, who arrived in Kathmandu via India for a two-day visit yesterday, said the Dutch government and the people have so far contributed 30 million euros as an emergency humanitarian assistance in Nepal.

According to her, the Netherlands government extended 10 million euros through the World Food Programme and various eight Dutch Relief Agencies right after the quakes. Later, additional 20 million euros voluntarily raised by the Dutch people was extended through various Dutch NGOs active in Nepal.

Saying that the Dutch government would participate in upcoming Donor’s Conference slated for June 25 in Kathmandu, Ploumen stated that donor countries and agencies and the Government of Nepal should work together to carry out the colossal reconstruction and rehabilitation works left by the devastating earthquakes.

She stated the need of ensuring temporary shelters for quake victims before the beginning of rainy season and advised coming up with a comprehensive land-pooling plan to permanently resettle the internally displaced people.