Nepali Times
Domestic Brief
British aid


Eyebrows have been raised in London over procedure in the UK's promise to Nepal of roughly ?3 million worth of military aid. According to a report in The Guardian newspaper of 5 August, Labour party backbencher Tony Worthington has accused Prime Minister Tony Blair of "sneaking" the proposal through parliament by bundling it with an aid programme used to help restore peace in war-torn countries. The report says that the aid "will comprise two Mi-17 support helicopters, explosive ordinance disposal equipment, logistical equipment, communication equipment and equipment in support of the military intelligence support group which the UK are assisting the Royal Nepalese Army in setting up."

The money comes from the "global conflict prevention pool", a fund backed by the UK's Foreign Office, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence. The Guardian report says that the package was made part of Britain's contribution to the global "war against terrorism" even after British international development secretary Clare Short opposed it. After the London donors meeting on Nepal, Britain promised to give ?6.7 million as aid, of which roughly ?3 million is to spent on military equipment.


LATEST ISSUE
638
(11 JAN 2013 - 17 JAN 2013)


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