 BILASH RAI |
Starting with the visit here by the UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon in October, there have been four ministers from India, Britain, Denmark and China. The Chinese sent a military delegation and the British their army chief.
Most visitors expressed concern about delays in the peace process, army integration and lamented the lack of consensus politics. They urged the Maoist-led government to deliver law and order, prove its commitment to democracy and the free press and ensure industrial security.
Sources tell Nepali Times that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal candidly admitted to visitors that there are problems-both within his party and with the opposition-but that the peace process is on track. But, he said he was committed to democracy, the rule of law and in curbing militant unions that have crippled industry.
Some visitors said privately they saw a gap between what the Maoists were saying and what they were doing. There was concern that Nepal, which two years ago was hailed a model country for conflict-transformation, was about to slip back into anarchy.
Western governments are also wary that the Maoists are reviving 'Mahendrapath'?king Mahendra's policy of playing China off against India. Some sections of the Indian establishment, in particular, seem concerned that the Maoists are getting too cosy with the Chinese.
In the past, Beijing was happy to let Nepal be in India's sphere of influence and allow New Delhi to 'handle' the Americans here. However, the Chinese have been rattled by the activities of Tibetan protesters in Kathmandu earlier this year and saw US and European involvement in them. Prime Minister Dahal is said to have assured the Chinese foreign minister Wednesday that he would take a tougher line on pro-Tibet demonstrators.
The Indo-US nuclear deal and the Indo-Japanese security pact also appear to have changed the status quo in trans-Himalayan relations between India and China. Rival powers have historically always supported one or other faction within Nepal's parties, and this trend is expected to deepen as regional rivalries grow. The fissures seen in the Maoist plenum last week could indicate there are splinter groups answerable to competing foreign powers.
Nepal had a great opportunity after the peace accord to restore stability and be stronger internally. But the country now seems to be going in the other direction. The only way to dissuade foreign meddling is to build consensus during the transition period and to cooperate in the constitution-drafting process.
If the Maoists who lead the government can't do this, opposing geopolitical blocs will start getting jumpy and try to influence political decisions. When that doesn't work, they will interfere directly.
C K Lal
