Ban Ki-moon Visiting Nepal

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

 

KATHMANDU:United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will visit Nepal in late April to promote Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. His visit is also expected to give an impetus to the stalled peace and constitution drafting processes.
Ban will land in Nepal on April 28, along with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, and visit Lumbini the next day to co-chair an international conference on Lumbini with UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Before returning on April 30 he will hold talks with top leaders of political parties.

A meeting of the Greater Lumbini National Development Directive Committee formed by the Government of Nepal held today finalised and announced the itinerary of the UN Secretary General after consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Dahal is the chairman of the GLNDDC, with Dr Manglasiddhi Manandhar of CPN-UML, Dr Minendra Risal of Nepali Congress and Culture Minister Gopal Kiranti as members.

“We have decided to organise an international conference on the development of Lumbini on April 29,” Dr Risal told The Himalayan Times. According to him, a meeting of the GLNDDC slated for March 30 will take a decision on other aspects of the conference, including who all to invite from foreign governments and international organisations.

Ban was earlier scheduled to visit Nepal in early March but the visit was deferred as it conflicted with his other schedule and Nepal’s lack of preparation for the conference.

Nepal has declared 2012 the Visit Lumbini Year and planned to project the conference to promote Lumbini internationally as the apostle of peace.

Dahal had invited Ban to visit Nepal while the former was in New York in November in the capacity of coordinator of the High Level National Steering Committee for Lumbini development project.