During his meeting with leaders of all major political parties, including Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML Chairman K P Sharma Oli and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Indian Foreign Secretary Jaishankar conveyed India's desire to see Nepal a 'democratic, stable, peaceful and prosperous' country.Jaishankar, who arrived here as a part of his SAARC Yatra, urged the political leaders to come up with a constitution at the earliest and help end the protracted political transition. The common message he conveyed to the political leadership was that it is in the larger interest of Nepal to bring a new constitution at the earliest and through the broadest possible compromise, according to the political leaders.
In his meeting with Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Jaishankar wished him success in bringing the new constitution at the earliest so as to ensure that Nepal remains a democratic, stable, peaceful and prosperous country. He also expressed confidence that the Nepali political leadership would be able to come up with a new constitution soon, according to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala's foreign affairs advisor Dr Dinesh Bhattarai.
According to advisor Bhattarai, Jaishankar informed Prime Minister Koirala that he was in Nepal as part of a "neighborhood first" policy and that India seeks to further strengthen its relations with Nepal.
Likewise, at his meeting with CPN-UML Chairman K P Sharma Oli, Jaishankar said that India wanted to see the political parties in Nepal jointly bring out the new statute at the earliest. "India does not want to interfere in Nepal's internal affairs. The constitution brought by Nepal's political parties is acceptable to India. We want to see Nepal a democratic, stable, peaceful and prosperous country," Oli's personal aide Ramesh Acharya quoted Jaishankar as saying during the meeting with Oli.
On the occasion, Oli said that the parties had intensified their negotiations to reach consensus on the disputed issues of the new statute and that they have already reached agreement on the major issues. "We are currently holding discussions on various alternatives. We have expedited discussions to include the issues already agreed in the constitution and leave the disputed issues for further negotiations in future," he said.
During his meeting with UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha and senior leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai Thursday evening, Jaishankar urged them to bring a new constitution through necessary compromise. He urged the Maoist leadership to first agree on the rules of the political game and compete with each other over their agendas later, according to Maoist Vice Chairman Shrestha. Jaishankar conveyed a similar message to NC leaders, including Sher Bahadur Deuba, and to various Madhes-based political parties.
Apart from the party leaders, Jaishankar held a meeting with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and Chairman of the Constituent Assembly (CA) Subash Nembang. "I conveyed to them that India is committed to working with the people of Nepal for a democratic, stable, peaceful and prosperous Nepal. Our relations with Nepal are, and will continue to be a matter of the highest priority for India," Foreign Secretary Jaishankar told media persons at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) before departing for New Delhi Friday afternoon.
Jaishankar, in his meetings with the prime minister, the foreign minister, the foreign secretary and top leaders from various parties, also dwelt on bilateral cooperation agreements and projects. He assured them that India would do everything necessary to ensure that the projects agreed between Nepal and India are completed well on time. The meeting with the prime minister and foreign minister also dwelt on regional and international issues, including India's bid for a UN Security Council permanent seat.
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