Nepal Prime Minister Koirala backs war against LTTE

(December, 24, Kathmandu, Sri Lanka Guardian) While Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala struggles to keep the fragile peace process alive in his home country by calling violent armed groups here for talks, he seems to be supportive of his neighboring country's fight against armed groups.

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, who recently visited Nepal on a World Health Organization's invitation, has said Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala backed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's decision to retaliate against LTTE terror during his meeting with him in Kathmandu.

The minister, who was in Nepal to provide the country's experience to a health programme expected to be mooted in Nepal, told the Sri Lankan press that PM Koirala also appreciated the action taken by the Sri Lankan government to neutralise the LTTE threat.

During the discussion the two leaders had also talked about the health sector development between the two countries and solving the terrorist problem and exchanging pilgrims under special packages between the two countries

Saying that LTTE was against the President's endeavour to resolve the national problem, he added, "The government does not believe in war to settle the ethnic issue, but it has no option but to meet the LTTE's military challenge."

However, the recent success of the Nepalese Maoists seems to have encouraged the Maoist leaders in India to take to violent ways. One media report indicated that a joint training camp of the LTTE, Nepalese Maoists and Indian Maoists has been organised on the India-Nepal border.