Kathmandu – Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya leaves for Washington Friday for bilateral talks amid requests by the United States to contribute Nepali troops to an international force in Iraq.
Nepal has yet to respond to the US request as neighbouring India turned down Washington’s invitation to join the force saying it will only serve under the UN flag.
Acharya is visiting the USA as strong support for Nepal nose-dived after Kathmandu last month returned a group of 18 Tibetan refugees for illegal entry; Washington and its western partners reacted angrily and condemned the action; Nepal has since assured them it will not stop the transit of Tibetans to India were their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in self-exile.
Acharya will have extensive talks with the leaders in the Congress, State Department officials and business leaders as Kathmandu presses for quota and duty-free assess for garments. Senator Dianne Feinstein withdrew a proposal in the Senate for duty-dree access for garments to protest the return of Tibetan refugees.
The Maoist insurgency, increasing security co-operation after 9/11 and the Bhutanese refugee issue will also figure in Acharya’s talks with American officials, Foreign Ministry sources said.
Acharya is visiting Washington for the second time in 13 months amid stronger ties with an emerging security component to traditional ties following the snow-balling of a communist insurgency; Maoists call it interference.
On his return, Acharya will attend the Afro-Asian ministerial conference in Bangdung from July 28 to 30 on behalf of Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa who is also foreign minister.
