Now the Deuba government has to take an anti-US decision. The Nepal government’s decision not to join the US State Partnership Program is being considered a setback for Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
For the past several months, Nepal has been a battlefield of rivalry between the superpowers – that is, America and China. Ever since the government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba came to power, the US was losing ground in this race till now. The Deuba government first got Parliamentary approval for an agreement to accept $500 million in aid from American organization Millennium Challenge Corporation. Then Ukraine consistently voted according to the US stand on the international forums in the war. This clearly reflected the unrest in China. But now the Deuba government has to take an anti-US decision. The Nepal government’s decision not to join the US State Partnership Program (SPP) is being considered a setback for Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. There was a heated dispute over this issue in Nepal for a week. Eventually the government had to take this decision. He had to take this decision at a time when the program of Prime Minister Deuba’s visit to America is being finalized. Deuba is likely to go on an official visit to the US in mid-July.
The SPP issue had heated up last week after media reports that the US was pressuring the Nepalese government to join the SPP. This program is a kind of military alliance. Under this, a partnership between the US National Guard and the Nepalese Army would be formed. The matter flared up so much that the International Relations Committee of the Nepali Parliament called Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka and Army Chief Prabhuram Sharma and asked them questions and answers. After this the committee summoned Prime Minister Deuba, but he did not appear on Sunday. The committee then decided to call Deuba again this week for questioning. Meanwhile, Deuba’s cabinet decided that Nepal would not join the SPP and the US would be informed about it. Prime Minister Deuba is understood to have agreed to separate Nepal from the SPP due to pressure from the opposition and some of his allies. Clearly America will be uncomfortable with the latest decision.
