U.S. Assistant Secy busy in high-level parleys; meets ruling party chief

Visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake engaged in high-level political parleys on Tuesday by holding consultation with ruling UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Visiting US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs...

During the meeting held this morning, the two discussed the current political situation of Nepal, the ongoing peace process, stalled constitution drafting and army integration work.

The U.S. Assistant Secretary also formally informed Dahal about the recent delisting of the UCPN (Maoist) from the U.S. terrorist organisations’s list, it is learnt.

After arriving in Kathmandu on a two-day visit on Monday, Blake held separate meetings with opposition leaders - Nepali Congress vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel and UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal - and discussed a range of issues including the existing political stalemate.

He is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Bhattarai and also meet newly appointed Nepal Army Chief Guarav Shumsher Rana to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues later today.

Blake will also meet with business leaders, Tibetan community representatives, civil society leaders and human rights activists before leaving Nepal on Tuesday evening. nepalnews.com