Kathmandu, November 17:

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ told the Parliament today that the second BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit addressed most of the issues raised by Nepal.

He said the the summit discussed about a dozen areas of cooperation among the BIMSTEC countries.

PM Dahal was addressing the House in response to a ruling issued by Speaker Subas Chanda Nembang yesterday after some Constituent Assembly members demanded that the PM inform the House about his participation in the summit held in New Delhi on November 13. “Member countries welcomed my proposal to establish a regional tourism secretariat in Nepal,” the PM said.

The summit also dwelt on the global economic recession and energy crises in the region, he added.

The PM said the summit mainly discussed the issues of setting up a regional tourism secretariat, climate change, terrorism and cultural exchanges among the member countries.

Prachanda informed the House that he had held talks with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the summit. “Recent secretary-level talks on water resources, trade, commerce and crime control were the achievements of my visit to India,” said PM Prachanda.

“The exploitation of Nepal’s hydropower potential and speedy repair of the breached Koshi embankments figured in the talks with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh,” Dahal added. “Both the countries would benefit if they were able to generate hydropower in Nepal,” Prachanda quoted the Indian PM.

Prime Minister Dahal also informed the House that he apprised the

summit leaders of Nepal’s latest political development and the ongoing peace process, including the processes of framing a new constitution.