Shattering the dream of Scottish side Chivas Regal to secure the title for the fifth consecutive time. Hong Kong’s Chopad clinched the 26th International Elephant Polo title on Friday.

Entering the semifinal with a stunning performance earlier in the day, Chopad beat the Scottish side 6-4 in final.

Chivas entered final after stunning Chitwan National Park team 10-9 in semifinal while Chopad set the final date with Chivas after a 4-2 win over the united team of England and India.

A total of 12 teams including three Nepali teams participated in this year’s event, three more than the last year. Twenty elephants were used for the event.

Former US President Jimmy Carter has said that efforts are underway to remove the Maoists from the US government’s terror list.

Carter revealed this while addressing a news conference organised by the Carter Centre in Kathmandu at the end of his four-day tour on Saturday. He also said the relationship between the Maoists and the US government was gradually improving.

Commenting on the current political deadlock in Nepal , he said there was lack of trust among the parties because of the failure to implement the comprehensive peace agreement and other pacts.

“I believe that the mistrust among the parties has been exacerbated by the failure on both sides to implement key provisions of the Comprehensive peace Accord and subsequent agreements signed with marginalised groups,” Carter said, adding, “These promises cannot be separated from the election process and they should be fulfilled in order to rebuild the trust among political leaders.”

He suggested that 70 per cent proportional representation-based system and 30 percent first-past-the-post system would be best for constituent assembly elections.

Carter also had his suggestion on the issue of republic declaration. He said it will be appropriate if “overwhelming majority of parties declare through the interim parliament that republic will be established and will be effective when Constituent Assembly is convened.”

He further said he was disheartened that despite the people’s desire to exercise their democratic right to participate in an election, the CA elections had been twice deferred due to disagreements among the parties.

Pointing out the violent activities by the Maoist youth wing, the YCL, and various Terai groups, the former US president also stressed the need for creating a secure environment for CA elections.

Carter made it clear that his views were personal as he was here on an unofficial tour.

During his stay in Kathmandu , Carter had met with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala twice and held discussions with a cross-section of the society including the political leaders, human rights activists, civil society personalities and representatives of foreign diplomatic community.

This was his third visit to Nepal . The Carter Center , a global agency co-founded by Carter, which works for peace and democracy, has deployed its election observes in all five development regions in Nepal .

Senior UML leader KP Sharma Oli has accused the Maoists of trying to use his party for their gain and that the Maoist ‘offer’ of premiership to general secretary Madhav Nepal] is a “ploy to finish off the UML”.

CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli speaking at an interaction at the Reporters Club Friday, Nov 23 07. nepalnews.com/ANA

CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli speaking at an interaction at the…
“The Maoists are trying to use the UML. They are trying to lure the UML into believing that they are giving the post of Prime Minister to the UML,” Oli said speaking at an interaction organised at the Reporters Club Friday, “This is simply a ploy to finish off the UML. But, they are not going succeed.”

Claiming that the Maoists are not in a position to make any such offer at present, Oli further made clear that the UML would not accept the Prime Minister’s post with the backing of the Maoists.

In what contradicted the view of party general secretary Nepal, Oli said the parliament cannot not declare republic, because such a proclamation would run counter to the Interim Constitution.

Speaking at the same programme, Nepali Congress general secretary Dr Ram Baran Yadav said the Nepali has not changed its position regarding the proposals on declaring republic and adopting proportional election system, which were passed by a simple majority of the parliament on Nov 4.

“There is no compulsion for the government to implement these proposals,” he said, revealing that the government is preparing to announce a new date for the constituent assembly polls.

Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter is set to arrive in Nepal on Nov 21 for a four-day visit, The Carter Centre said Sunday.

Carter’s visit is aimed at “encouraging Nepal’s political leaders to make sustained effort toward peace and to achieve a climate in which a constituent assembly election can be held”, a statement issued by the Centre said.

The former US President will lead a delegation that will include Jeff Carter, the assistant project director of Carter’s Conflict Resolution Program; Ambassador A. Peter who is the Centre’s senior advisor; Dr David Pottie, associate director of the Centre’s Democracy Program; and Darren Nance, Centre’s Nepal director.

During his stay here, Carter will meet with political leaders, senior government officials, election commissioners and representatives of the civil society organisations and marginalised groups.

This will be Carter’s third visit of Nepal.. He had visited Nepal in June this year and had held extensive interaction with political leaders including the Maoist leadership and representatives of various groups.

The Carter Centre, a global agency co-founded by Carter in 1982 which works for peace and democracy, has deployed its election monitors in Nepal after a request from the Nepal government. Its election teams have been stationed in all the five development regions.

The former US President, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, is visiting Nepal amidst deepening political crisis with the parties failing to arrive at a compromise on the recent decisions of the interim parliament to announce republic and adopt proportional election system.

Former Finance Minister Dr Yadav Prasad Pant passed away on Wednesday at the age of 82 while undergoing treatment at Bumrungrad Hospital in Thailand.

Dr Pant, the first Nepali to receive Doctorate in Economics in 1952, had also attained Doctorate in Economics Literature in 1976.

He had worked as the vice-president World Federation of United Nation Association from 1991-1999. He was also senior member of the World Federation of the United Nation Association, founder president of Nepal-Japan Friendship and Cultural Association, and Nepal – Scandinavian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He had worked with various international and national organisations including UN ESCAP (Bangkok), finance and planning secretary, National Planning Commission, governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank, Royal Nepali envoy to Japan, chairman of Economic Commission, Minister for Industry and Commerce, Finance and Water resources and headed National Industrial Development Corporation, National Trading Ltd, Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation and Nepal Oil Corporation and was district governor of Lions Clubs International, District 325 – B.

He was also visiting professor for UN Institute Bangkok, Institute of International Studies, Tokyo and Korean Development Institute, Seoul.

He has authored more than two dozen books and had received highest decorations from Nepal government, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Emperor of Japan and president of Republic of Korea.

He had a wife Rama Devi, three sons Dr Girish Pant, Dr Bhuwanesh Pant and Radhesh Pant and a daughter Meera Arjyal.

The International Nepali Literary Society (INLS), the largest Nepali literary organisation spread over the world, has reconstituted its Belgium chapter on Saturday.

The new chapter is headed by Krishna Bajgain. Bimal Giri has been elected as vice president, Ramesh Kadel as general secretary, Shankar Bajgain as secretary and Kum Shahi as treasurer.

Khim Gurung and Binita Rimal have been elected as executive members of the seven-member committee. INLS-Belguim said other members and advisory board will be constituted later.

The gathering called for reconstitution of the chapter also observed the poets Laxmi Prasad Devkota jayanti with poem recitation.

Former National Football Captain and Martyrs’ Memorial “A” Division league’s best player Hari Khadka has received Rs 2.6m worth Toyota Yaris Car amid the function here at ANFA Complex, Satdobato, Lalitpur on Thursday.

Minister for Education and Sports Pradip Nepal handed over the key to Khadka. All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has declared Khadka the best player of the league evaluating his duty towards nation and his dedicated performance in the league.

Khadka, who captained national team for a year, expressed happiness for the greatest prize of his life. Khadka started football career from 1995 and has 14 International goals in his kitty.

Earlier, the same Yaris car was awarded to former national captain Upendra Man Singh. ANFA gives out such car annually to the experienced football player in recognition of their contribution to the nation.

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 8 – Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel accused the underground Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) leadership Wednesday of not being interested in talks to resolve the nearly five-year old insurgency.

“Despite our efforts to create environment (for talks), Maoists have always avoided talks on one pretext or the other,” Poudel told mediapersons at a press conference at his Ministry which was held as a damage control measure today, five days after the orchestrated change of heart and release of Maoist central committee member Dinesh Sharma and his friend Dinanath Gautam.

Poudel reiterated that the government was open to talks and if Maoists did not show their inclination to talks it would use all security apparatus on its disposal to protect the life, property and basic human rights of the citizens.

The Home Minister also cited the example of release of Dev Gurung, a central committee member of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) some 10 months back, as a positive indication for talks, but which came to nothing.

“We were asked from all quarters to meet the Maoists’ demands, at least to test their intention, if not for anything else. We did so and now it is clear to all what their intention is,” added Poudel. “It is now up to the intellectual community to judge all the pros and cons of the issue and then only decide which side is at fault.”

Poudel felt that the government was unfairly blamed for the breakdown of the talks process, “despite taking one step more than asked”, pointing out that the government had released Sharma and Gautam, when all that was asked from the rebels was the whereabouts of Sharma and other rebels. However, replying to a question, Poudel denied that Sharma and Gautam were in government custody. Answering how the contact was made, the Home Minister said the duo “who might have been underground,” contacted as recently to arrange the press conference.

“When Sharma told us that he wanted to renounce violence while still believing in Marxism and Leninism, we arranged the press conference (on Friday),” said the Home Minister, adding that the government had neither any plan to re-arrest them nor foresaw their volte-face.

About the whereabouts of other 198 missing rebels whose status had been asked by the Maoist party, Poudel said he had no knowledge about them. “We have not hidden anybody.”

The Home Minister denied Deuba’s charge that the government had made his task difficult by launching a parallel move to contact the Maoists. “Deuba’s complaint is not justified. He cannot claim now that he could have achieved this and that had his Committee’s tenure been extended. He had more than a year to do something.”

Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Convenor of High Level Recommendation Committee for Resolution of Maoist Problem, whose term expired on October 16. The Committee’s main task was to initiate dialogue between the government and the Maoists. Deuba submitted the Committee’s report to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala yesterday.

Although Poudel, who was one of the members of the Committee, said he was neither associated with the final draft of the report nor he had seen after its submission, he said he did not agree with most of the observations in the document.

Regarding Padma Ratna Tuladhar’s charges of betrayal, Poudel said, “He might have had his own problem. Probably, he wanted to receive the rebel duo himself. I had also phoned him to inform him about Friday’s press conference but he was not at home.”

Tuladhar, a human rights activist, had brokered the “unofficial” talks between DPM Poudel and Rabindra Shrestha, central committee member on October 27 on the DPM’s request.

Amid reports that the Maoists have promised their support to UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal as a possible replacement of Girija Prasad Koirala as the interim Prime Minister, Maoist chairman Prachanda today said there is no need for change in the government’s leadership at the moment.

“Changing government’s leadership will not be a right thing to do, both politically and practically,” Prachanda told state-owned Radio Nepal, “The main focus at the moment is on how the proposals passed by the parliament could be implemented.”

Prachanda, however, said the issue of leadership change will arise if the Nepali Congress, which leads the interim cabinet, does not take seriously the parliament’s directive to the government to take immediate steps towards implementing republican system and adopting proportional voting system for the forthcoming constituent assembly election.

“Now the pressure is on the Nepali Congress to implement the proposals, but it should not view this in negative light,” he said.

Meanwhile, UML general secretary Nepal has also made a similar claim– that there haven’t been preparations whatsoever to alter the government’s leadership.

Talking to the same radio station, Nepal said, “Our only concern is the conduct of timely election while maintaining unity of the seven parties. There is no alternative to the alliance of the seven parties.”

He added, “Constituent assembly election is the principal agenda and the issue of government leadership is attached to the issue of election. Certainly, the domination of the Nepali Congress in the government has created problems time to time, but the involvement of the NC is equally necessary.” The UML general secretary also emphasised that process for implementation of the proposals passed by the special session of the House should start immediately.

The clarification from the bosses of the two biggest community parties, which together make a majority in the interim parliament, comes a day after their ‘secret’ meeting in which they reportedly discussed a change in the government in the new political context after the passage of the proposals on republic and proportional system.

While the Nepali Congress voted against the two proposals, the Maoists and the UML joined hands in ensuring the agenda of republic never failed in the parliament.

CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda and CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal held discussion Tuesday morning in an effort to forge unity among the leftist parties in a new political scenario as well as to pressure the Nepali Congress-led government to implement the proposals passed on Sunday by the parliament.

During the meeting held at Nepal’s residence in Koteshwor, the two leaders discussed how to exert pressure for implementation of the House directive on republic and fully proportional voting system, a source said.

Earlier on Monday, leaders of major communist parties warned of ‘political polarisation’ if the government failed to implement the proposals passed by the special parliament session.

Meanwhile, CPN-Maoist has decided to mobilise its cadres to inform the general public about the House directive so as to exert pressure on the government for its implementation.

The decision to this effect was during an informal meeting of the party’s central committee held at the party headquarters Buddhanagar.

The meeting also assessed the current political scenario and discussed the possible alliance of left parties in case the government fails to follow the House directive.