Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister´s Office told Republica that the US Embassy has informed them about Sherman´s two-day visit beginning April 4. [break]
"The details of the visit are still being confirmed," said US Embassy Spokesperson Heather Steil.
Sherman´s will be the highest political visit from Washington since the visit of then Secretary of State Colin Powell to Nepal in January 2002. According to the website of the Department of the State, Sherman is the third highest-ranking official at the Department.
As of now, she is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayankaji Shrestha only, the sources said.
Though the details of the agenda of her visit are yet to be known, government sources that the meetings will focus on the peace process and constitution writing, US cooperation to Nepal and Tibetan refugees, among others. Besides, the US is also going to seek Nepal´s support in its bid for the membership of the UN Human Rights Council. The current US membership of the UN Human Rights Council is expiring at the end of this year.
Political sources even claimed that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton´s visit to Nepal was also planned initially. But as Clinton could not come to Nepal, Washington is sending its under secretary for political affairs to Kathmandu at a time when the country´s political situation is in its critical stage.
A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Nepal has taken the Washington´s decision to send such a high-ranking official to Nepal in a decade as a "reflection" of positive developments in the bilateral relations in past one and a half years.
"In recent years, Nepal and the US have signed Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. US Peace Crops has returned. The US has selected Nepal as eligible for the Millennium Challenge Cooperation grants and helped Nepal to increase its capacity to tackle natural calamities. Nepal has taken Sherman´s visit as reflection of these positive developments," said the official on condition of anonymity.
Coincidently, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao had visited Nepal in January while preparations are underway to host Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here next month. It will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 15 years.
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