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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between the Government and the Governments of (a) Nepal and (b) India regarding Maoist insurgency; what assessment has been made of the impact of the insurgency on the stability of the wider region; and what steps the Government are taking to assist (i) India and (ii) Nepal in combating this threat. [204800] Mr. Alexander: We are in regular touch with the Governments of both Nepal and India about the Maoist insurgency, both at ministerial and senior official levels. I visited Nepal in November and held discussions with both the King and Prime Minister about the current situation. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has also raised the issue with his Indian counterpart, most recently on 4 December, and the UK Special representative to Nepal, Sir Jeffrey James, has been visiting Nepal and India regularly for talks with ministers and officials. We have considered the actual and potential impact of the insurgency on stability in the wider region with the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development (DFID). Large numbers of refugees from the conflict have already moved to India. We remain concerned about possible links between Nepalese Maoists and far-left groups in north eastern India, which threaten stability there. To help to minimise the risks these threats pose, the UK has been working closely with international partners. Our efforts are intended to help Nepal to move on from the current conflict as a democratic, stable country, with multi-party democracy, a constitutional monarchy, sustainable economic and social reform, good governance and a high level of respect for human rights. For several years we have been giving considerable assistance to Nepal through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) to help the state counter the insurgency in a manner in accordance with internationally accepted norms and also to assist Nepal to tackle the root causes of the conflict. DFID has committed £35 million this year to an extensive programme aimed at reducing poverty and social inequality, and accelerating economic growth and improving quality of life and good governance. In all of our efforts we work closely with our international partners to ensure a unified approach. We welcome the close cooperation we enjoy with India in our efforts to help Nepal resolve the problems it faces.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

204800; 428 c1622-3W;428 c1620-1W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Armed conflict Development aid Communism India Politics and government Terrorism Nepal

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk