The Hindu : National : India, U.S. discuss Nepal situation

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India, U.S. discuss Nepal situation

Special Correspondent

Nancy Powell

NEW DELHI: The United States and India discussed the situation in Nepal on Wednesday and Thursday and Washington expressed concern over the possibility of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) dominating the political space in the Constituent Assembly elections, scheduled for March.

U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Nancy Powell met External Affairs Ministry officials on Wednesday to understand India’s position on the political situation in the Himalayan nation as well as to synchronise U.S.-India’s response to the developments there. Ms. Powell visited India in September last soon after she took charge. She is an old Asia hand, having served earlier in Pakistan and Nepal.

The envoy interacted with border management division officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday. The uneasy situation in the Terai region, which borders India, came up for discussion.

Diplomatic sources described the visit as “routine but significant.” It should be seen in the larger context of India-U.S. relations, they said.

The U.S. is concerned over the possibility of Maoists monopolising the constitutional activity in Nepal. Unlike the Nepali Congress, the CPI (Maoist) is absolutely anti-U.S., and Washington would not like the buffer between India and China to be politically dominated by a force inimical to its interests in the region. The CPI (Maoist) had made a big political gain recently by getting the other parties to agree to abolition of monarchy.

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