Friday, December 4, 2009

Nepal-India security meeting begins


KATHMANDU, Dec 4: The three-day bilateral consultative meeting between Nepal and India on security began at the Nepal Army Headquarters, Kathmandu on Friday.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arun Dhital is heading the Nepali side while his India counterpart Satish Mehta represented the Indian side.

Officials from the Ministry of Defense, Home, Foreign Affairs, and representatives of all security agencies, including Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Intelligence Department, will participate in this meeting.

During the meeting, both the sides discussed issues on resumption of supply of non-lethal military hardware to the Nepal Army, training and the building of the airstrip in Surkhet, according to a knowledgeable source.

India had agreed to help build an airbase in Surkhet during Defense Minister Bidya Bhandari´s visit to India.

On Monday the 23rd November India flew its supersonic fighter jets over Nepali territory. According to eyewitness accounts, the Indian fighter planes were spotted over Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan and Darchula. These areas are strongholds of the UCPN (Maoist). It has also been reported that India sent its planes into Nepal on the 21st of this month as well.

The current Nepali government has expressed its ignorance of this event. Local intelligence sources, however, also claim that Indian jets were spotted over Nepal. Civilians feel very threatened by the presence of the Indian military in the sky.

The UCPN (Maoist) has accused the current UML-run government of being puppets for the Indian expansionists and the United States. The government's ignorance of these violations of Nepali territorial integrity is proof that the accusations made by the UCPN against the UML government (and other coalition parties) are correct.

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