The Maoist insurgency is going to be a key factor in determining whether or not Nepal will support India's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
As Minister of State for External Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh, sent to canvass support, returned to New Delhi on Saturday after meeting King Gyanendra and senior ministers, Kathmandu has a message for the Indian authorities: Clear the confusion about Maoist guerrillas.
While the Government says it has declared the communist guerrillas terrorists, since May some of their top leaders are reported to have met Left leaders in New Delhi.
The government headed by King Gyanendra is unhappy over this.
Kathmandu is also upset at the Indian embassy expressing doubts about the authenticity of an audiotape that quotes top Maoists leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda as saying New Delhi had summoned him for parleys. The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) had made the tape public in May.
The Indian mission in Kathmandu had issued a statement saying since the RNA had not shared the tape with the Indian authorities, they doubted its authenticity.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian mission in Kathmandu had issued a statement saying since the RNA had not shared the tape with the Indian authorities, they doubted its authenticity.
{{/usCountry}}Media reports since then seem to indicate the presence of Maoist rebels in India.
Kathmandu is concerned at India withholding lethal military assistance to the army.
"Nepal's role in the UN system is growing," said a foreign affairs expert in Kathmandu.
Besides contributing to the UN peacekeeping operations, Nepal is also a leading voice in the group of landlocked, least developed countries in the UN and could swing at least some votes.
"Besides, the vote of neighbours is crucial in any international platform," he said.
Though Nepal feels India tacitly lobbied against it at the UN Human Rights High Commission meet in Geneva this year, it is amenable to reaching an understanding after Rao Inderjit Singh's visit, provided New Delhi clarifies its position on the Maoists.