Prime Minister's America Visit team members to decrease

KATHMANDU, Sep 11: The number of members of the team who are going with the Prime Minister on his America Visit is going to decrease.

The Council of Ministers had decided before that a team of 24 people, including Foreign Minister NP Saud, would go to America with the Prime Minister. But sources have said that Prime Minister Prachanda has given the instruction to reduce that number.

The Prime Minister called Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal on Monday morning and gave the direction to reduce the number of members. The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday will decide how many members will accompany the Prime Minister on the visit, Prime Minister Dahal's press adviser Govinda Acharya informed.

"The Minister has already given the instructions to make the [America] visit team as small as possible. Tuesday's Cabinet meeting will decide [the members] accordingly", Acharya told Ratopati, "The Prime Minister will not leave with a jumbo team."

Prime Minister Prachanda will be leaving for New York on September 16 to participate in the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations. Sources close to the PM say that the number has been reduced to avoid unnecessary visits and allowing unnecessary people to participate in the visit.

Prime Minister Prachanda is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on September 21 and leave for China from New York on September 22.