paulinididi,
I dont completely remember what he said in interview, but im sure it is not 'joint secretary'. He might have said 'Deputy secretary' , which is equivalent to 'State minister (rajya mantri)' in Nepal. Secretary/joint secretary in Nepal are equivalent to Director/Deputy Director who are bureaucrats. Im not saying he is fully following protocol in this, im just trying to put the right information.

If it is head of govt of palestine, iraq, afghanistan or any other such countries, the President would himself take some time to talk because US has a greater interest in those countries, we all know this. For head of the govts of countries like Nepal, it is obvious that president is too busy.

I hope i wont be branded as maoist for writing this :)