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Nepal may withdraw ICCPR candidacy
- Idea is to boost UNGA presidency bid
KATHMANDU, AUG 08 -
To boost Nepal’s presidential candidacy in the 66th UN General Assembly (UNGA), Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the UN has recommended the government to withdraw its candidacy from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The Permanent Mission believes that the withdrawal will lessen the load the government has been shouldering in the run up to the upcoming three UN elections—election for the UNGA, UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the International Law Commission—in which Nepal has filed candidacy. Prof Surya Subedi is the Nepali candidate for the ECOSOC post.
The Government of Nepal had decided to file candidacy for the membership of the ICCPR and secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, Trilochan Uprety, had been picked for the post. The poll is scheduled to be held in September.
After Nepal’s UN mission strongly recommend withdrawing the candidacy, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Sunday held a meeting with Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire and Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai. The trio discussed the recommendation, while the prime minister asked the secretaries to come up with an objective analysis on the issue and submit a report within three days.
“As we have already announced our candidacy for the 66th UN General Assembly presidency for 2011 and diplomatic initiatives have been taken by circulating the matter to all 130 countries to support Nepal, this upcoming election of the ICCPR could hamper our bid there,” a senior government official told the Post.
Former UN official Kul Chandra Gautam has been appointed the prime minister’s special advisor on foreign relations and peace process with a view to giving a boost to his presidential candidacy in the UN post. “We do not want Gautam’s candidacy to be hampered in any way,” the official said.
“However, no decision has been taken in this regard,” Foreign Secretary Bhattarai said.
“We will hold discussions with Nepal’s envoy to the UN, Gyan Chandra Acharya, and take a call,” the official said.
Posted on: 2010-08-09 08:09
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