By IANS
Kathmandu : Ahead of a showdown with the Maoist guerrillas in parliament, Nepal’s Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala began a diplomatic offensive, trying to garner support for his leadership.
The premier Friday met the British ambassador to Nepal Sir Andrew Hall, who also represented the European Union, and the Chinese envoy Zheng Xianglin.
On Thursday, he had met the German ambassador Franz Ring and the American envoy Nancy Powell.
The prime minister’s office said he was also keen to meet the Indian ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee.
Mukherjee, currently in New Delhi, will return on Monday, when the ruling alliance will confront the Maoists in parliament, resuming a critical debate that was put on hold for over a fortnight due to festivities.
The Maoists are demanding the immediate abolition of Nepal’s 238-year-old monarchy and a fully proportional election system. So far, Koirala has rejected both demands.
If necessary, the wily prime minister would prefer to compromise on the immediate scrapping of the crown as the other demand would endanger his Nepali Congress party’s chances at the hustings.
However, the international community has indicated that a parliamentary decision on King Gyanendra’s fate would not be credible since the parliament is not an elected one.
Nepal’s official media said the envoys urged the prime minister to announce fresh election dates and implement the commitments he had made when he signed a peace pact with the Maoists last year.
The constituent assembly election, regarded as being critical for restoring peace and stability in Nepal, was earlier to be held in November.
But it was put off indefinitely early this month by Koirala after the Maoists quit the government and announced they would oppose the polls if their demands were not met.
This is not the first time the prime minister has met foreign envoys over the endangered peace process.
As soon as the election was postponed, Nepal’s major donors had made their position clear.
Expressing disappointment to a body, all of them had asked the government to announce fresh poll dates and create an atmosphere conducive to free and fair elections.
However, almost three weeks later, the prime minister is yet to do any of that. Moreover, his seeking to meet the envoys comes as a surprise since he had been repeatedly saying in the past that foreign intervention was rising in Nepal.
The meetings are therefore regarded as a means to flex his muscles before the Maoists when the parliament debate starts, highlighting the envoys’ preference — for now — for his leadership over the Maoists.
But there are indications that a disenchanted India may welcome a leadership change in Nepal, preferring a younger and more transparent executive at the helm of the country.