CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has said that he had no knowledge of the letter that was written applying for America’s State Partnership Program (SPP) when he was prime minister.
Though it has been revealed that the then Nepal Army Chief Rajendra Bahadur Chhetri wrote the first letter to the US government applying for the SPP on October 27, 2015 when Oli led the government as prime miniser, Oli has denied having any information about it.
NA Chief Prabhu Ram Sharma told the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) Friday that the NA had written to SPP only after receiving permisison from the then PM and defense minister both of whom were Oli. But addressing a two-day training program for the party’s newly elected local representatives in Kathmandu on Friday, Oli said that the SPP application process had moved forward considerably when he took charge as PM.
“It appears that the then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala had instructed to write the letter in the capacity of defense minister on September 23 (2015). I became prime minister on October 11. It seems to have been given final shape toward the end of October,” said Oli. “I did not know about it. Perhaps the Congress-led government had moved it forward after UML looked likely to form a government.”
Stating that the SPP application process had been moved forward even when Pushpa Kamal Dahal was prime minister, Oli has claimed that he had halted the process after becoming prime minister for a second time. The Oli government, however, did not write to America to stop participation in the SPP even after 2019.
The situation then and the agreement being prepared now are different, he added.
“That thing and the thing now are different. Maybe the coalition government is encouraged after the MCC (Millennium Challenge Corporation) was passed. The past has been dug up to minimize the present issue,” said Oli. “This 10-point (proposal) is new. There are issues such as the American army operating training centers and use of weapons. It is not acceptable to us.”
NA Chief Sharma during the House committee meeting on Friday has expressed ignorance about the 10-point proposal while the US Embassy has called the documents published in the media fake.
