Kathmandu, November 6

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa today said that he strongly raised the issue of disruption of supplies to Nepal in the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Without taking the name of any country, Thapa upon arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport said, “The world now knows who is doing it.” He also stated that blockade against a land-locked country like Nepal was unacceptable.

“Under any pretext, disruption of supplies is not acceptable. For a country like Nepal, it is a serious issue,” he had said while responding to queries raised by UN member-states during an interactive session following Nepal’s presentation in HR Council in Geneva on Wednesday.

Nepali delegation had strongly presented the crisis that the country has been facing for the last several weeks due to shortages of fuel, medicine and other essentials.

Thapa during the UPR session also said the current unrest in the Tarai was an internal matter. “Nepali people are competent enough to address these issues on their own,” he added. “We will be able to resolve the issue through consensus and within the framework of the constitution.”

He also urged the agitating Madhesi parties to resume dialogue to find a negotiated settlement.

Responding to a journalist’s query at the TIA, he said the issue of transitional justice raised by India at HR Council was “not an issue at all.” “Though it is natural for such questions to be raised at such a forum, we have already done much in this regard. Two transitional justice mechanisms have been set up, while the Supreme Court has also carried out many works in this regard.”

Despite a few countries’ hesitation, almost all of 172 UN member-states which had spoken on Nepal’s UPR appreciated the overall improvement of HR situation in Nepal.

Before returning home, Thapa met with President of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein in Geneva and shared Nepal’s commitment to further promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms of all citizens.

Thapa also extended an invitation to Hussein to visit Nepal at a convenient time.The UN Human Rights chief welcomed the promulgation of an inclusive and democratic constitution with adequate provisions of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and wished for successful implementation of the constitution. He also welcomed the recent election of the first female President in Nepal.