KATHMANDU: US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry has reiterated that no parts of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) be now amended.
Talking to BBC Nepali Service, Ambassador Berry said that Nepal and the USA were involved in dialogues for five years to take the Compact to a conclusion.
“Discussions were held on contents of the agreement for five years from 2012 to 2017. They concluded in 2017 following the signing of the Compact between Nepal and the US governments,” Ambassador Berry said.
“We had accepted all the conditions at that point. Time has already elapsed for discussions as the Compact has inched closer to the implementation phase,” he added.
Saying that MCC can be a big contributor to Nepal’s development, Ambassador Berry clarified that there are no hidden agendas in MCC.
He further asserted that the MCC agreement signed by Nepal and Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) are different.
“MCC and IPS are totally different,” Ambassador Berry maintained.
He clarified that Nepal-US diplomatic relation will not be affected even if the Compact is not implemented.
“The two countries have been engaged in a strong partnership for more than 70 years,” he said, “Our relation will not be impacted by an issue.”
America will provide Nepal US $500 million under the MCC grant compact for the infrastructure development of electricity and roads.
The MCC Compact which requires to be spent in five years must be endorsed by the federal Parliament.
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