Govt recommends ambassadors

The government on Monday recommended the names for the vacant post of ambassadors to more than a dozen countries.

The government will appoint the proposed ambassadors after the parliamentary hearing committee approves the recommendations.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the prime minister's residence at Baluwatar today made the decision amid differences among the cabinet members over some recommendations.

The recommended names are: Sailaja Acharya for India, Tanka Karki for China, Dr. Suresh Chalise for United States, Surya Kiran Gurung for Russia, Bhagirath Basnet for United Kingdom, Surya Nath Mishra for Qatar, Dr. Ganesh Yonjan for Japan, Nabin Prakash Jung Shah for Thailand, Bala Bahadur Kunwar for Pakistan, Pramesh Hamal for Belgium, Hamid Ansari for Saudi Arabia, Pradip Khatiwada for Bangladesh and Gun Laxmi Sharma for Myanmar.

Likewise, Dr. Dinesh Bhattarai has been recommended for the permanent mission to Geneva.

Dr. Chalise, who has been proposed for the ambassador to America is an international advisor for the prime minister, while Acharya is a Nepali Congress leader, who had been criticized for not supporting the April movement.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Amik Serchan expressed his "serious" differences over the recommendations.

He said that the recommendations made without the consent of the Maoists, who are to join the interim government, would be meaningless.