In a meeting with the newly-appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Madhav Prasad Ghimire at the latter´s office on Friday, the envoys also asked the government to bring a proposal so that they could look at it and decide where and how they could extend support to Nepal for polls. [break]
“We have congratulated chairman of the Interim Election Council and members of the council for taking up their duties. We have also expressed our full support for conducting free, fair and inclusive elections at the earliest,” Dr. Alexander Spachis, head of EU Delegation to Nepal, told media persons after the meeting.
Ambassador Spachis said the meeting was organized at their request to congratulate Ghimire for taking up his duty as minister for foreign affairs. “We also held very positive interaction with the minister and senior officials about matters of ordinary business,” he said.
Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal, Thomas Gass, told media persons that the meeting with minister Ghimire was to express their commitment and support to the current cabinet and to the process of prioritizing election. “We said all stakeholders need to be included. Small parties need to be brought onboard the election process.”
The suggestion of EU envoys to bring all disgruntled parties on board comes at a time when various fringe parties, including the newly-formed Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist has threatened to boycott the polls under the government led by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi. On Wednesday, Baidya-led Maoist had held a meeting with foreign envoys to make their position against the election clear.
“CPN-Maoist had invited us for talks. We listened to their comments. But we did not say whether some of the comments were right or wrong. But we hoped that they would participate and they would not obstruct the election,” Gass further said.
Envoys remind govt of OHCHR statement on TRC
On the occasion, the envoy had also reminded Minister Ghimire of the statement of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navy Pillay on the controversial provisions in the proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
“For the TRC, let me say that EU ambassadors need not say anything. There is already the UN statement of High Commissioner for Human Rights. Therefore, we do not need to say anything on this,” Spachis said while responding to a query of journalists.
“The government is also studying the case and they will do what they need to do. Let me also say that this government has been appointed with its responsibility to conduct election. This is the first priority,” Spachis further said.
Responding to concerns raised by the envoys, Minister Ghimire had informed the envoys that the government was preparing a “non-paper” on TRC. “We are ready to incorporate your suggestions, if any, in the TRC,” said a MoFA source. “We are committed to forming TRC in line with the international standards. We will incorporate your suggestions.”
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