E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, DEC 11 - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala cancelled her Copenhagen trip at the last moment, as the number of Nepali participants in the ongoing Copenhagen Climate Change Conference has surged to almost 600.

Currently,  Koirala is attending the 12th Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) ministerial meeting in Myanmar.

In addition, Nepal still faces a dilemma whether or not to support the Political Document in Copenhagen that will emerge as the declaration and will be a legally binding agreement.  Foreign secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai will also not be attending the meeting.

Earlier, the Cabinet decided that Koirala would accompany Prime Minister Madhav

Kumar Nepal with six other ministers — Finance, Culture and Constituent Assembly, Environment, Science and Technology, Forest, and Tourism.

According to the ministry, till Thursday, the list of participants accompanying the prime minister had crossed 75. Citing the huge number of participants from a poor country like Nepal, Koirala decided to cancel the trip, said her personal aide Bharat Sapkota.

We are still receiving the names of participants, said a protocol officer at the ministry “Nepal’s participation has turned into a Gai Jatra. The Danish Embassy in Kathmandu also cautioned the ministry that such a huge participation could create accommodation problems.”

With the global jamboree kicking off on Monday, participants from across the world are gathering in Copenhagen and the Danish government has urged people to provide accommodation to the participants since all rooms in hotels across the city are already booked.

Ministry officials however said the government was bearing the cost of only a few participants and donor agencies and other INGOs would be covering the cost for the remaining participants. “The donors and INGOs will however slash the funding they provide to the government of Nepal,” an official said.

“If the summit expresses concern over the melting glaciers of the Himalayas and is ready

to come up with the ways address the issue, Nepal will accept the declaration,” a senior official said.

 

Posted on: 2009-12-11 03:19

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