Expat Nepalis apprise US lawmakers

March 13, 2005
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A seven-member delegation comprising expatriate Nepali professionals has visited the Capitol Hill in the Washington D. C. and briefed Senators and Congressmen on the current situation in Nepal, reports from the US capital said.

According to a statement issued on Friday, the delegation met officials from the offices of seven Senators and a Congressman: Senator Richard Lugar (Chairman, Foreign Relations Committee-IN), Senator Chuck Hagel (NE), Senator John Sununu (NH), Senator Joseph Biden (DE), Senator Lincoln Chaffee (RI), Senator Rick Santorum (PA), Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) and Representative Jim Walsh (NY).

The team briefed the Congressmen and Senators about situation of human rights and civil liberties in Nepal. The team highlighted that the Maoist problem could be resolved only at the political level and military operations should be used in conjunction with political strategies to reach a final solution.

The team urged the US government to coordinate its efforts with India, UK and other nations to put substantial pressure on the Nepal government and the Maoists to follow a democratic political process to resolve this issue. The team made a strong argument of possible regional instability in absence of strong pressure on both the parties in Nepali conflict.

The team also made a strong recommendation for a special envoy to be appointed to coordinate US’ Nepal policy with other interested parties (India, China, Great Britain and the European countries), among others.

At least eleven Congressmen have already signed on a joint letter to be sent to HM the King

saying that there is no military solution to the Maoist insurgency in Nepal and that the Feb. 1 developments and suspension of civil liberties and human rights have hurt peace prospects more than helping it.

The team, led by Suman Timsina, included members of Nepali diaspora in the North America and were representing various Nepali-American organisations based in the United States. Other team members were Dr. Shyam Karki, Prof. Shiva Gautam, Ms Mary Carroll, Ms. Mallika Shakya and Puru Subedi.