Kathmandu. Fatima Sumar, Vice President of the US Agency for International Development (MCC) Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), has arrived in Nepal on a four-day visit.
Vice President Sumar arrived in Kathmandu from Qatar on Thursday morning to understand the progress of the MCC project on US grant assistance to Nepal. Vice President Jonathan Brooks has also arrived in Kathmandu along with Vice President Sumar. Security at the airport was tightened when they arrived.
While in Nepal, the delegation led by Vice President Sumar is scheduled to hold separate meetings with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Finance Minister Janardan Sharma and Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Pampha Bhusal.
This is the first visit by the MCC to this level since the bilateral agreement between the Government of Nepal and the MCC on the Millennium Challenge Agreement was signed in August four years ago to reduce poverty and sustainable socio-economic development in Nepal. This visit is viewed with interest and importance.
As per the agreement, Rs. 50 billion will be received from the United States as grant for the implementation of road infrastructure, construction of power transmission lines and other physical infrastructure development projects in Nepal. Protests are taking place in Nepal over whether the MCC is linked to a US military alliance or security strategy.
MCC Vice President Fatima Sumar and Assistant Vice President Jonathan Brooks, who arrived in Kathmandu today, are scheduled to meet Leader of the Main Opposition KP Oli before the Prime Minister.
According to US embassy sources, he will start political talks with UML Chairman Oli in the afternoon and will meet Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
He landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Orle at 9.30 am and went straight to the Merit Hotel with the journalists. They will have breakfast at 12:30 pm at the residence of US Ambassador Randy Berry in Kamaladi. After that, he will go to Balkait to meet UML Chairman KP Oli. From there, they will inspect the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA-Nepal) at Yak & Yeti. MCA Nepal is a body formed to promote MCC.
Fatima and Janathan, who have decided not to hold a press conference citing security challenges, are preparing to issue a statement today. There is a heated controversy in Nepal over the MCC project. A few days ago, the government had sent a letter to the MCC with many questions after various questions were raised from the citizen level. The MCC has returned the answer. And, there is no military strategy or strategic interest.
The Vice President and Assistant Vice President have arrived in Nepal at a time when the atmosphere against MCC is heating up. Fatima is the vice president overseeing the MCC’s compact operations. Jenathana looks after MCC’s Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America.
