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The Rediff Interview/Nepal Ambassador Bhekh B Thapa

'There is a need to review and readjust in view of rapid international changes...'

Nepal's Prime Minister Girja Prasad Koirala, 76, visited India nine years ago. As he flies into New Delhi on Tuesday, August 1, for a two-day visit to meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a host of issues are bound to come up. Some of them are thorny ones. It is not just a confidence building, goodwill visit as it is made out to seem. Both countries want this visit to produce results.

Nepal's ambassador to India, Bhekh B Thapa, is optimistic that both countries will break new ground. In an exclusive interview with rediff.com, he spoke to Roving Editor Ramesh Menon taking time off from charting out what his prime minister should say and do in New Delhi. Excerpts:

What is the agenda going to be like?

It is largely a goodwill visit. But there are issues that carry over from the past.

Like what?

We need to take a fresh look at bilateral trade, for instance. We need to rethink about the framework of various treaties. There is a need to review and readjust in view of rapid international changes.

What about security?

The two prime ministers may discuss national security. There have already been a series of meetings on this issue and there will be some understanding reached on this.

There are some nagging border disputes.

The border disputes need looking into. Rivers do change course and there are changes on land. There is a need to scientifically delineate the Indo-Nepal border, especially in areas where disputes have cropped up.

Nepal now claims that Kalapani is theirs.

It does not claim. It has always been Nepal's. But what does one do when you just put up a police post out there and stop us from entering?

What is the solution to a dispute like this?

There are papers available. One just has to look at them and sit down and discuss the issue. Nepal's geography has not changed since the British left. Kalapani is just a rightful claim. It is sensitive issue. The answer is scientific delineation.

The Laxmanpur barrage in India is emerging as an emotive issue in Nepal.

It is an emotive issue as it is affecting the lives of over 10,000 people. Villages and farmlands have been getting flooded for years. We have had to relocate people. It is not just because of the Laxmanpur barrage that there is flooding in Nepal. Similar mud bunds on Indian rivers in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have done that. What can we do if mud bunds are just built on rivers in India? We cannot control the flooding as the source of the river is in Nepal.

What about trade? The Opposition is constantly talking about the tax levied by India on Nepalese goods.

India has levied a four per cent tax and has called it Special Additional Duty. It is really sad. It goes against the spirit of the treaty that India has signed with Nepal. It has affected Nepal's exports.

If there is a treaty, what is really the problem?

The treaty with India is actually a good one. But it is suffering because of its narrow interpretation. You are liberalising for the rest of the world but in the neighborhood, you are making it difficult for each other. The idea should be to follow the spirit of the treaty and not to fall back on convention. On the Nepalese side, the faithful implementation on the issues of trade and transit is of great importance. Treaties between both the countries in the last five years were comprehensive and accomodative, but the difficulty was only of interpretation. Consequently, also of implementation.

Are there going to be any new understanding on trade?

We are definitely interested in furthering trade as India is our largest market. We can provide everything from foodgrains to various raw materials. Even processed fruit and agricultural products.

What about power?

Nepal wants to co-operate with India in harnessing power. Major rivers that orginate in the foothills of the Himalayas are in Nepal. The potential of generating hydro-electric power is very high. It is to the tune of about 83,000 megawatts. It is cheap and environment friendly. Nepal and India need to conclude a dialogue that will allow for conservation and generation of power from water sources. This is going to dominate the talks as it is mutually beneficial.

Why is there an anti-India sentiment in Nepal?

Well, you should really ask India that question. The resentment is actually against the behaviour of India on specific issues.

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