Foreign Minister warns of crisis if protests continue

Kathmandu, December 5

Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat today said there would be no change in proposed constitution amendment bill, and urged the agitating Madhesi parties to accept what has been incorporated in the bill.

The agitating Madhesi forces, including Federal Socialist Forum Nepal has been saying that the proposed amendment draft didn’t fully address their demands and sought changes in it.

Speaking at Reporter’s Club, Mahat warned of a vicious crisis if the Madhesi as well as opposition CPN-UML continued their protests against the amendment bill. “No one should do politics on the bill,” he warned. “This will be unfortunate for the country.”

The foreign minister criticised those who are claiming that the amendment motion was tabled in the House at the behest of neighbouring India.

He said many countries, including China, America, European Union and the United Nations are concerned about Nepal’s new constitution, and questioned, “Why is there is more suspicion about the concern raised by India?”

Issuing a statement, India on Sunday had said that the registering of a constitution amendment bill in the Parliament was an important step.

Minister Mahat also recalled that earlier, Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML had already agreed upon a draft of the federal boundaries — based on which the incumbent government had floated the constitution amendment bill.

Meanwhile, Mahat said that the government was mulling over preparing a comprehensive Foreign Policy document. “Preparation is under way to review the policy comprehensively,” he said.

According to him, an expert panel is being formed for the same and based on that panel’s report the government will move ahead towards framing the comprehensive Foreign Policy. “Once the policy is formulated, we will orient our foreign policy towards that framework, whosoever is in the government,” he added.

In a separate reference, he assured a revamp of the Institute of Foreign Affairs, the state-financed policy think tank with more human and financial resources. He claimed that the government would soon appoint ambassadors to as many as a dozen vacant diplomatic outposts.