Senior US official to visit Nepal

Amid final preparations to take Maoists on board the interim government, a senior official of Bush administration is visiting Nepal beginning Friday.

"Henrietta H. Fore, Under Secretary of State for Management, will visit Nepal on Friday and Saturday (March 9-10). The Under Secretary is the most senior administration official to visit Nepal since Jana Aandolan II," states a press release by the American Embassy in Kathmandu.

Under Secretary Fore, who is scheduled to meet Prime Minister G.P. Koirala, will review developments in Nepal.

"She will meet Nepali politicians, officials, business executives, and Nepali women alumni of US exchange programs. As the State Department's senior management official, she will inspect the new US Embassy in Kathmandu and review plans to open it this summer," says the release.

The visit of senior US official has assumed significance as it coincides with preparations to induct Maoists in the interim government. The US ambassador James Moriarty has been saying that Maoists inclusion in the interim government should follow a credible and complete management of arms. nepalnews.com sd Mar 08 07