By P.R. Pradhan

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba spent 12 days in India without business. Last week, Deuba returned home after spending 12 days in India. This is the third visit of Deuba to India. During her entire 12-day stay in India, she attended and addressed the Raisina Dialogue hosted by the Indian External Affairs Ministry. That apart, she met with her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. She had a pilgrimage to Baba Baidhyanath. Also, it was said that she underwent a follow-up health check-up and finally attended the Raisina Dialogue.

Upon her arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, FM Deuba shared the Indian mood, “India is highly engaged with the present government in Nepal. I didn’t sense any attempt for a system change in Nepal”

“India is always sided with a democratic government here”, Deuba said.

This is a revelation that there used to be the Indian hands in charge of the governments in Nepal.

Moreover, she left Kathmandu just the next day of the pro-monarchy demonstration in Kathmandu upon the former King’s arrival from Pokhara.

Deuba’s gesture indicates that she spent 12 days in India to save the present Oli-led government.

According to reports, FM Deuba met with her counterparts attending the Raisina Dialogue and during such meetings, she requested them to support Nepal’s candidacy to the non-permanent membership for the UN Security Council.

The report appeared only in the government mouthpiece, The Rising Nepal, but not in other media. Also, she didn’t cite about this issue to the local press upon her arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

In a TRN report entitled “FM Rana seeks support for Nepal’s candidacy in UNSC”  The Rising Nepal on March 20, stated, “Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba held separate bilateral meetings with her Georgian and Philippines counterparts Maka Bochorishvili and Enrique A. Manalo, respectively in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday”.

“On the occasion, FM Dr. Rana requested support from Georgia for Nepal’s candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2027–2029, as well as for other positions Nepal has applied for”.

When the government mouthpiece reports, we must believe, however, whether Nepal is really planning to contest an election to the post of the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council or she told it just for public consumption!

The error in the report is mentionable here that the non-permanent membership is just for two years, not for the three years “2027-29” i.e. 2027, 2028 and 2029.

Be that as it may, Nepal already became a non-permanent member of the UNSC two times they too during the active leadership of then-King Birendra.

M.R. Josse, the then deputy permanent representative of the Nepal Mission in New York and also Consultant Editor Emeritus of the People’s Review weekly, during his tenure, the Nepali team had made a successful move to Nepal to become the UNSC member for the second time, shared some interesting and relevant factoids regarding Nepal and UN Security Council:

Admission to UN: December 1955 First successful UNSC membership: 1969-1970, Ambassador/PR: Padma Bahadur Khatri Second successful UNSC membership: 1988-1989 Ambassador/PR: Jai Pratap Rana.

Failed UNSC bid: 2006 Under the leadership of K.P. Sharma Oli, DPM and Foreign Minister.

Tally at the election at UNGA for non-permanent UNSC seat for 2007-20O8: Indonesia: 158; Nepal 28. Date of UNGA election: 17 October 2006

Some other related facts;

Nepal's first UNSC bid: 14 years after UN mission Nepal's second UNSC bid: 18 years after her first stint.

If a recently announced attempt for UNSC membership is successful for the year 2027-2O28 Nepal will have returned to UNSC in 38 years.

Senior journalist Josse has also written articles included in his book “Nepal and the World Part 2” and “Nepal’s Quest for Survival” about how Nepal had lobbied to get elected to the UNSC membership.

The failed attempt in 2006 was very humiliating and shameful as Nepal bagged just 28 votes against Indonesia’s 158 votes.

The 2006 candidacy of Nepal was a reflection of the degradation of Nepal’s foreign policy under the multiparty democracy.

This time also, if Nepal is planning to give candidacy, whether it is the right time for Nepal to contest the UN election at a time when the country’s foreign policy is in a mess!