High-profile western diplomacy in Nepal continues with the arrival late Thursday in Kathmandu of US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Christina Rocca. She will be here till Sunday, meet senior Nepali officials and consult US embassy staffers.
Rocca is the seniormost US official to visit Nepal after Colin Powell made a brief stopover in January. Last week, the British foreign secretary, Sir Michael Jay was in Nepal. The flurry of visits signify western worries about the current conflict in Nepal and its ramifications for regional security, officials told us. Rocca is also expected to discuss a proposed $20 million military aid package for the army.