Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has said that the Constituent Assembly will provide an opportunity to address various challenges faced by Nepal.

“The Constituent Assembly to be elected in April is a strong platform for facing challenges of Nepal,” he told reporters at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA), just before he left Nepal after wrapping up less than 24-hour visit to Nepal.

He also stressed on the need to deal with the effects of climate change, particularly in the Himalayas.

The first head of foreign government to visit Nepal since the political change of April, 2006, Stoltenberg who had arrived in Nepal, Thursday, on a short “working visit,” held a series of political meetings Friday.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirla at Baluwatar, Friday. The Norwegian PM discussed about the ongoing peace process with Koirala, Feb 08 08. nepalnews.com/NPA

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Girija …
Stoltenberg met his Nepali counterpart Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s residence and pledged Norway’s continued assistance to Nepal’s development and peace process. Matters of mutual interest between the two countries were also discussed during the meeting.

Prime Minister Stoltenberg also held separate meetings with CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Maoist chairman Prachanda and various political party leaders at the Norwegian Embassy in the capital city to apprise himself of the ongoing peace process and the upcoming election to Constituent Assembly (CA).

Before starting the political parleys, the Norwegian prime minister had flown to Manang district at the foothills of the Himalayan Friday morning to observe a glacial lake to acquire information on the effects of climate change in the mountain region. nepalnews.com sd/ag Feb 08 08