Minister for Home and Foreign Affairs Madhav Prasad Ghimire hinted that the government would not shy away from using necessary administrative measures to foil any attempt by the agitating parties to thwart the election if talks failed to bring them on board the election process.
“The government will use all ways and means for holding the election. This will also include talks,” said Ghimire upon his arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after attending the UN ECOSOC meeting in Geneva. [break]
Minister Ghimire´s remarks come in the wake of the CPN-Maoist repeatedly snubbing the government´s talks offers for resolving their concerns. A central committee meeting of the party held in Pokhara recently also decided to boycott the upcoming CA poll.
While stating that there was no alternative to elections to resolve the political deadlock in the country, Minister Ghimire expressed confidence that the agitating parties including the CPN-Maoist would eventually join the election process. “It is not true that the stance of any political party is unchangeable; it can change,” he said when asked what the government would do in view of the decision of the CPN-Maoist to thwart the poll.
Ghimire said the government would try talks with them to get them to change their decision against the poll. “I am confident they will eventually come on board. They won´t shirk their responsibility to make the election a success,” he further said.
On the occasion, Minister Ghimire, who also holds the foreign ministry portfolio, said the government will soon work to fill the vacant ambassadorial positions at various embassies abroad. “So far as the issue of filling the vacant positions in New York and other missions is concerned, this is an area of priority for the government. We will move ahead toward that end,” he said.
Ghimire also said that the two-day visit of Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid to Nepal starting Tuesday is to be a ´good will visit´. “This is a visit from a neighboring country to express solidarity with the upcoming election in Nepal,” he said adding that they are yet to decide specific things for discussions during his visit.
Ghimire had gone to Geneva to participate in the Substantive Session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held between July 1 and 4. He also had opportunities to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the chiefs of various UN agencies and ambassadors to the European Union, among others, during his stay in Geneva.
Ghimire said Nepal as a Least Developed Country (LDC) had emphatically raised the issues and concerns of LDCs relating to their sustainable socio-economic development, at the policy making agencies of the UN. "The visit was successful in informing the international community about the preparations for holding the Constituent Assembly election with the active participation of all political parties," he added.
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