UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Saturday left for New York to garner support of the United Nations for the development of Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha.


Maoist chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal speaking to the media at the Tribhuvan International Airport before leaving for...
Talking to the journalists at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), chairman Dahal said he would seek cooperation and support from international agencies including UN to develop Lumbini as an international Buddhist and tourists hub during his visit.

Earlier today, after attending the meeting of constitutional committee in Singh Durbar, he had said that during the visit, he will also apprise UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the progress made in the peace process and will seek UN's cooperation on combatants' rehabilitation.

He is scheduled to meet Ban on November 8.

The government had recently named Dahal as head of a high-level committee formed to oversee efforts to generate foreign aid for development of Lumbini. The government has also declared 2012 as the Visit Lumbini Year to promote tourism in Buddha's birthplace.

Members of the high-level committee, Dr Minendra Rijal and Manoj Shrestha, Dahal's son Prakash and personal aide Samir Dahal accompany him to the US. nepalnews.com