SAARC meeting

NEW DELHI: Australia and Mauritius have voiced their interest in joining the SAARC bloc. Both the countries have applied for observer status. Speaking to this daily, foreign affairs undersecretary Pradyumna Pradhan at the Nepalese Embassy here said on Wednesday that a SAARC secretary level meeting disclosed this. A report from Kathmandu said Minister for Foreign Affairs Sahana Pradhan would leave for Delhi on Thursday to attend a meeting of SAARC Council of Ministers on December 7-8. A ministry statement said the meeting would focus on the SAARC Development Fund. In Kathmandu, a UN delegation led by Jane Holl Lute, assistant secretary-general of the UN, would meet officiating Foreign Secretary Hira Bahadur Thapa at the latter’s office on Thursday. — HNS

PM no good: Nepal

Biratnagar: Minister for Education and Sports Pradip Nepal on Wednesday termed PM GP Koirala “incompetent.” However, the minister added, “This does not mean that Madhav Kumar Nepal or Prachanda should be the prime minister.” He was speaking at a press meet here. Nepal also accused the NC and the CPN-Maoist of “going against the CA elections”. Member of the parliament, Dr Minendra Rijal, condemned Prachanda’s remarks for alliance with the nationalists on Tuesday. A report from Pokhara quoted NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC as saying on Wednesday that change of guard in the government is not possible prior to the CA polls. — HNS

Acharya meets Menon

NEW DELHI: India is giving top priority to the proposed railway line from Birgunj of Nepal via Katihar of Bihar state in India to Chittagong of Bangladesh, Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told the media on Wednesday before a meeting of SAARC secretaries here. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Gyanchandra Acharya met Menon here on Wednesday. During the meeting, matters relating to mutual interest were discussed, according to the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi. — HNS/ RSS