Kathmandu: India’s Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao will visit Nepal next month, amid the political
deadlock over the formation of a new government, Foreign
Ministry sources here said on Saturday.
Rao`s visit is tentatively fixed from January 18 and
she will hold discussion on a wide range of bilateral issues
with senior political leaders and government officials,
including Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala during the visit,
Ministry sources said.
Rao`s three-day visit is seen here as crucial as it
comes amid the failure of lawmakers to elect a new prime
minister despite 16 rounds of run-off polls, prolonging the
leadership crisis in the country and stalling the 2006 peace
process.
The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), tasked to
monitor the country`s stalled peace process, is set to pull
out by January 15.
Just weeks ahead of the withdrawal of UNMIN, the issue
has sparked a row between the ruling alliance and the main
Opposition Maoists who want the term of the UNMIN to be
extended.
The visit by the top Indian diplomat is seen as
significant as India is set to join the UNSC in January as a
non permanent member.
Rao had visited Nepal earlier this year along with
External Affairs Minister SM Krishna.
PTI
