Nepal, Prachanda in U.S. for UN general assembly
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - Despite the fact that his name and that of his organization are still on the terrorist "blacklist", Nepalese prime minister Prachanda will attend the gala dinner being held by U.S. president George Bush and by the United Nations, scheduled for this evening in New York.
The United States had put the Maoist movement on the blacklist of "rogue" organizations following the bloody uprisings in Nepal; now the pro-communist party is in power in the country, and for the first time in history a government leader from the Maoist movement has been received in the United States for an official visit.
In addition to the prime minister, the Nepalese delegation is composed of his wife, his personal secretary, the foreign minister, the Nepalese representative to the UN, and other diplomats. This is Prime Minister Prachanda's third trip abroad, after he took part in the closing ceremony for the Beijing Olympics following his appointment, and his official visit to India last week.
The trip to the United States will open this evening with a gala dinner; in the next few days the Nepalese prime minister is expected to speak in front of the UN assembly, on the occasion of the 63rd general assembly of the United Nations, while a face-to-face meeting with Bush has not been confirmed for the moment.
The mission to American soil is being followed closely by public opinion in the country, and by leading international diplomatic figures, who are expecting reassurances on matters of human rights and the struggle against terrorism. Yesterday, before arriving in New York, Prime Minister Prachanda stopped in Frankfurt, Germany, where he met with Nepalese diplomatic representatives in Europe, including the ambassadors to Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Great Britain.
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