PM appoints Nepal's nominee for presidency of UN General Assembly

Nepali caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has appointed Kul Chandra Gautam, Nepal's nominee for the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), as his special advisor on international affairs and peace process, local media reported on Saturday.

"He has been appointed to the post recently as he has been advising the prime minister for a long time," said a source at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on condition of anonymity.

According to Republica daily report, a former deputy executive director of United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund and Assistant Under Secretary General of the UN, Gautam has been advising Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on matters related to international affairs and the peace process since Nepal became prime minister in May 2009, said the source.

"In the terms of reference given to Gautam, the prime minister has acknowledged Gautam's advisory role," said the source.

With the appointment of Gautam as special advisor to the prime minister, Nepal is now prepared to launch a full-fledged campaign to garner support for Gautam's candidacy for the president of UNGA.

To that end, the prime minister on Friday directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to call Nepali Ambassador to the UN Gyan Chandra Acharya to come to Nepal to formulate lobbying strategy for Gautam's candidacy, said the source.

MoFA officials are hoping that Qatar will withdraw its candidacy during the meeting that is expected to ask both Nepal and Qatar to reach consensus. Generally, UNGA presidency is elected unanimously.

Nepal and Qatar have filed nominations for presidency as it is the turn of Asia to head the UNGA from September 2011 to September 2012.

UNGA presidency rotates among five geographic groups -- African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean and Western European states.

Source: Xinhua