KATHMANDU, Apr 18, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- British Under Secretary of State for Defense and Minister for Veterans Kevan Jones has called on Nepali Prime Minister Prachanda and discussed peace process, army integration and bilateral relations, The Rising Nepal reported on Sunday.
At the half-an-hour meeting here on Saturday, Jones inquired with the Prime Minister about the future of United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN).
Prachanda told the visiting British minister that UNMIN will not be needed after army integration and rehabilitation of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) combatants, which, he expected, would happen by July, according to PM's foreign affairs advisor Hira Bahadur Thapa.
Jones, in his departure statement at the end of his five-day visit to Nepal, said that the people of Nepal could be assured of Britain's steadfast support, both for peace-building and for development.
"We encourage the government of Nepal to take forward the peace process, including the drafting of a new constitution that secures peace, stability and democracy," Jones said.
Jones arrived in the Nepali capital Kathmandu on Tuesday for a five-day official visit to the country.