Govt decries EU-India statement, calls it ‘altogether inappropriate’

Apr 2, 2016-
                A day after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) issued a strongly-worded statement against a EU-India joint statement on Nepal’s charter, the government on Friday reasserted its position, saying the reference to Nepal’s newly adopted constitution was “altogether inappropriate”.
After Friday’s Cabinet meeting, which took serious exception to the EU-India joint statement on Nepal’s charter, Minister for Information and Communication Technology Sherdhan Rai, who is also the government spokesperson, said, “Nepal is a sovereign nation and Nepal is not in any kind of constitutional crisis at this moment. At a time when constitution is in the process of implementation, such kind of statement is altogether inappropriate.”
Point 17 of the EU-India joint statement issued on Wednesday in Brussels stated that “India and the EU have agreed on the need for a lasting and inclusive constitutional settlement in Nepal that will address the remaining constitutional issues in a time-bound manner, and promote political stability and economic growth.”
But what Minister Rai said was not mentioned in the statement issued after the Cabinet meeting.
“A serious attention of government of Nepal has been drawn to the India-EU joint statement on Nepal’s political situation, over which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already expressed concerns through a statement on Thursday,” read the Cabinet statement, which was prepared by Minister Rai.
On Thursday, MoFA said the India-EU joint statement “is against the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of a country.”
“The constitution which was promulgated by an elected and sovereign Constituent Assembly through democratic process has internalised worldwide norms and values and is in the process of implementation,” read the Cabinet statement. “…Nepal does not have any kind of constitutional problem now. Nepali people and government are capable of and committed to resolving any kind of problem.”
During Friday’s Cabinet meeting, some ministers were of the view that there was no need to issue a separate statement, as the foreign ministry had already objected to it on behalf of the government. But Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and some ministers from the CPN-UML pressed for a separate statement, a minister told the Post.
India, which has expressed some reservations about some provisions of Nepal’s constitution, had earlier also used the international stage to advance its view on the charter. At the end of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UK visit, the two countries on November 12 had issued a joint statement which had a reference to Nepal’s charter.
Reminder of an earlier decision: Rae
Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae has said that the India-EU joint statement on Nepal does not infringe on Nepal’s sovereignty.
Talking to journalists on Friday, the Indian envoy tried to clarify the meaning that the EU-India statement carried. “It only stressed on the implementation of a Cabinet decision which was communicated to the Indian side”.
On December 22, the government had decided to form a high-level political mechanism to address the issues related to redrawing of provincial boundaries, one of the key demands of the Madhes-based parties.
Further clarifying India’s stance, Ambassador Rae said: “We have never questioned Nepal’s sovereignty. It [the statement] was just a reminder that outstanding issues need to be resolved through talks and negotiation.”