New bill will come aginest Nepal

New York, Nov 14 - A bill passed by the US Senate and the Congress recently, which is being signed by the US President George W Bush this week, has attached more and “stricter” conditions on Nepal government and the security forces for providing military assistance Kantipur online reports.

According to a copy of the bill received, there are altogether nine conditions laid out on two major categories – “civil liberties” and “protecting human rights” – for providing military assistance to Nepal under the “Foreign Military Financing Program” for the upcoming fiscal year. There were only four major conditions last year.

Significantly, unlike last year, the newly passed Foreign Operations Bill hasn’t deplored and condemned Maoist insurgency anywhere, which was, however, mentioned in its draft that was also made available.
“Funds appropriated… may be made available for assistance for Nepal only if the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that that Government of Nepal, including its security forces, has restored civil liberties, is protecting human rights, and has demonstrated, through dialogue with Nepal’s political parties, a commitment to a clear timetable to restore multiparty democratic government consistent with the 1990 Nepalese Constitution,” the bill says.

The United States has stalled supply of lethal assistance to the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) in the aftermath of the Feb.1 royal takeover.

The newly passed bill has defined “civil liberties” as “due process under law, freedoms of speech, the press and association, and the right of movement”, which have been enforced in Nepal following the royal takeover.