The bilateral meetings at the prime ministers´ level also failed to make progress on the contentious issue of India´s demand that Nepal not be allowed to re-export third country goods through international agents while India enjoyed the same right.
Briefing the media on the bilateral negotiations, Madan Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said, "Some technical issues of the Trade Treaty are yet to be sorted out." When asked if that meant the possibility of signing the Trade Treaty was practically over, Bhattarai said, "I cannot say that since there are more meetings tomorrow."
Though the draft of the Trade Treaty was earlier agreed at the secretary level, India raised demand for non-reciprocity on allowing re-export of third country goods through international agents spoiling the possibility of signing the treaty.
If the two sides fail to sort out the issue by tomorrow, Nepal and India will have no treaty at hand to put ink on since the other two treaties on avoidance of taxation and investment protection have already been taken off the negotiating table.
It´s also not clear if India will agree to immediately take up Bagmati Civilization Project as expected earlier. "India has agreed to study the project," said Bhattarai. Prime Minister Nepal had pinned in hopes on the project since Nepal had received positive signals on it.
Even at the bilateral talks held on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nepal had requested India to fund the Bagmati Civilization Project and had tried to push it through arguing that it had a big sentimental value for the southern neighbor.
Leading the Nepali team at the talks held at Hyderabad House on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Nepal also requested India to expedite works on projects agreed between the two countries in the past. He raised concerns about the slow progress on many such projects, including the Hulaki Road and Link Road in Tanakpur. He also called for regular meetings and contacts between bilateral bodies to resolve outstanding issues and problems on the ground.
Prime Minister Nepal also told the Indian delegation, headed by Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh, that his government´s top priority was to conclude the peace process and to write a new constitution on time.
During the talks, the Indian side also said that it would be better if the two countries signed the Extradition Treaty, the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to Control Criminal Activities and Border Strip Maps. However, Indian Prime Minister Singh also said that if Nepal needed more time to reach consensus on these issues his government was ready to wait for the "pace" and "comfort" that Nepal desired.
Prime Minister Nepal busied himself in high-profile meetings with Indian leaders throughout the day. Besides the Indian Prime Minister, he met President of Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi, President of India Pratibha Patil, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, and Foreign Minister SM Krishna, among others.
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Source: Republica
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