Sue West reports on the Asia Pacific Committee meeting of Socialist International

Date:  15 March 2007

The Socialist International held a meeting of the Asia Pacific Committee in Kathmandu on 10-11 Feb 2007. It was an interesting time to be present in Nepal following the ceasefire and formation of a Coalition of six political parties plus one and in the lead up to a Constitutional Assembly election. It will be the role of the Constitutional Assembly to draft a new constitution.
The meeting opened with addresses from all those involved in the coalition. The desire of the Nepalese for democracy was very clear. They used the meeting as an opportunity to talk to the visiting delegates about the differing forms that democracy can take.

The meeting was also a chance to look at the issues facing a number of other fraternal parties in the region.

The issue of climate change was also discussed. In the Pacific region we are concerned about the impact of ocean rises. For those in the Himalayas the issue is the impact of a reduction of the permanent snow and ice.

A full report on the meeting and details of the Kathmandu Declaration can be found on the Socialist International website.

Sue West