Nepali Ambassador to China Tanka Karki told myrepublica.com from Beijing that he recently forwarded the government´s proposal to Chinese authorities in a bid to settle the nearly five-year-old deal to buy MA-60 turboprops. “The Chinese authorities are positive to our request,” Karki said on Thursday.
Nepal had ordered to buy the MA-60 turboprop civilian aircraft from the Chinese manufacturer Xi´an Aircraft Industry Group Co during the royal regime in 2005. But Nepal refused to buy them after the removal of the royal government in April 2006 though the twine-engine aircraft were manufactured as per the $27 million deal.
Shan Yiduo, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, had recently told myrepublica.com that the embassy had no knowledge of Nepal´s request.
Officials in Kathmandu said the Chinese manufacturer has sought compensation from Nepal for not purchasing the 56-seater aircraft.
“I have asked the Chinese authorities to consider the compensation in view of friendly relationship between the two countries and our economic condition,” Karki said.
The aircraft supposed to be purchased initially for Nepal Army under ´buy two get one free scheme´ is the original Soviet Antonov An-24 and has upgraded Pratt & Whitney engines and Rockwell avionics. Although the MA-60 aircraft has been exported to Zimbabwe, Fiji, Eritrea and Congo, it doesn´t have UK or US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) certification yet and has been decommissioned from service by China´s own Wuhan Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.
Lately, even the government has shown its promptness to resolve the deadlock over the deal. On November 22, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal, during an inspection of the Nepal Army´s air strength, directed Finance, Defense and Civil Aviation secretaries to prepare Nepal´s stance on the deal and settle it once and for all, according to Subash Devkota, press advisor of Defense Minister Bidya Bhandari.
In the last week of October, Karki had also written to the government, asking it to send a delegation to Beijing to discuss the stalemate over the deal, saying that China also wanted to see the deadlock resolved as early as possible. "I am hopeful that the issue will be settled very soon," he said.
When asked whether the issue will be resolved during the PM´s upcoming China visit, he said, "The matter will be dealt with by authorities of lower level." Nepal is visiting China on December 26.
kiran@myrepublica.com
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