Nepal’s Maoist chief leaves for China

KATHMANDU - Ignoring a growing political crisis at home and a call by the UN to redouble work on the wilting peace process, the chief of Nepals largest party, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, left for China Friday on a five-day visit that, he said, was non-political.

The former revolutionary told journalists that he would be visiting Shanghai at the invitation of the organisers of Shanghai Expo 2010, followed by a trip to Beijing.

When I went to China last year, I first met the Chinese president and prime minister, the former prime minister said. At that time, the meetings had been fixed in advance.

But this time, there are no such events though I could meet with some officials.

This is Prachandas fifth trip to the northern neighbour since he became Nepals first Maoist prime minister following a historic election in 2008.

Accompanying him are Maoist MPs Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Agni Sapkota and Prachandas nephew and aide Sameer Dahal.

Mahara, also the chief of the Maoists foreign affairs, was embroiled in a controversy recently after a taped phone conversation showed him seeking money from a Chinese friend to buy MPs and help Prachanda win the ongoing prime ministerial election.

The China trip means Prachanda and the two Maoist leaders will not take part in the 13th round of prime ministerial election scheduled Tuesday.

It will also mean the work of drafting a new constitution will receive a setback since Prachanda is the coordinator of the parliamentary committee formed to iron out differences among the parties on major debates about the nature of the new state of Nepal.

Time is running out for Nepal with less than three months left to address the fate of the Maoists guerrilla army of about 19,500 fighters.

They have to be discharged and either inducted in the state army or rehabilitated by Jan 15, 2011, when the term of the UN agency supervising the guerrilla fighters ends.

The UN Security Council issued a statement Wednesday, urging the parties to redouble their efforts and complete the discharge by Jan 15.

Prachanda also leaves Nepal in a financial mess.

His party has not allowed the caretaker government to pass the new budget though the financial year in Nepal ended four months ago.

The state coffers have less than NRS 7 billion left and unless the new budget is passed soon, the government will be plunged into a dire financial crisis.

The Maoists say they want an agreement on power-sharing before they allow the budget to be passed.