CoAS shuns UK Foreign Office and DFID meets

KATHMANDU, Oct 7: Following instructions from Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chief of Army Staff General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung, who is on a five-day official visit to the United Kingdom, declined to attend meetings with officials at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).



According to knowledgeable sources, the prime minister instructed Gurung to shun meetings with FCO and DFID officials as it is an army level visit and should not be “intended for political goals”. [break]He was supposed to discuss the peace process among other issues, added the source.



However, the prime minister´s Foreign Affairs Adviser, Rajan Bhattarai, said he has no knowledge regarding any such instructions from the PM.



The travel itinerary provided by army headquarters to Republica included Gurung´s meetings with Director of FCO´s South Asia and Afghanistan Directorate Karen Pierce and DFID Permanent Under-secretary Minouche Shafik.



An official at the Defense Ministry told Republica that the Nepali embassy in London recently expressed concern over Gurung´s meetings with FCO and DFID officials. But no one at the embassy was available to comment.



An army-level visit is not entitled to engage in discussions on issues related to the government and Gurung´s delegation comprises only army officials, added the source. Gurung is accompanied by his spouse Kamala Gurung, Major General Netra Bahadur Thapa and Lieutenant Colonel Shiva Shankar Gurung.



A statement issued by the British embassy on Wednesday said, “…under direction of the Nepal Government, General Gurung declined to attend meetings with officials in the FCO and DFID, saying that as this was an Army level visit it would be inappropriate to speak on behalf of other ministries.”



The source said Gurung´s itinerary should have been endorsed by the government. The visit does not include any representatives from the civilian government. The seriousness of the army chief´s UK visit was not taken into consideration, added the source.







Chief of the Directorate of Public Relations Brigadier General Ramindra Chhetri said the army chief´s meetings with FCO and DFID officials was included in the itinerary as per “traditional” practice.

“The issues to be discussed through ministry levels cannot be discussed through military level,” Chhetri added.

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