Foreign Secretary Menon meets Nepal PM Koirala

Kathmandu, Sep 16 (UNI) Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon met Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at his official residence in Baluwatar today and discussed the latest political developments in the Himalayan kingdom along with bilateral relations between the two countries.

Discussion was held on various issues including the bilateral relations between the two countries, Nepalese Constituent Assembly elections scheduled to be held in November, border security, and Nepali Congress unification, a leader of the Nepali Congress said.

Menon, who is on a two-day visit to Nepal, is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Sahana Pradhan and Speaker Subash Nembang today.

He also met CPN, UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali Congress-Democratic President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Maoist leaders Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai.

The foreign secretary was here at a time when the Maoists had threatened to quit the government launched peaceful protest to declare Nepal a democratic republic through parliament, saying that election is not possible due to the conspiracy of regressive forces led by suspended King Gyanendra.

However, the other major political parties want the abolition of monarchy by the elected representatives following the election on November 22.

UNI