President's Message
I congratulate and thank all our general members and the Executive Committee members for the successful convening of the 5th Annual General Meeting of our Chamber on October 20th, 2000. It provided an opportunity to review the Chamber's activities in the past year apart from fixing vision for the future to come.The September to November quarter witnessed quite a busy period for the Chamber. NEPALCARPETS-UK, a maiden effort in coordination with the British Embassy, British Wool Marketing Board and the Central Carpets Industries Association, to promote the Nepalese Carpets in the UK and British Wool for Nepalese carpet manufacturing has set the ball rolling in this direction and thus has achieved its purpose to a great extent by doing the most difficult task viz. taking the first step. The Chamber has agreed to work in close coordination with the BWMB for their local presence in Nepal and will assist in their local office and wool warehouse.
There were very important apex level visits during this period. 
The Office Bearers met with the Duke of Edinburgh during the
formal inauguration of the Sterling Club at the British Embassy. The official visit of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, to Nepal has highlighted the importance placed on our country by the UK. The Executive Committee met with Princess Anne at the reception hosted by HE Ronald P. Nash.
Mr. William Nicholas, ex-director of the London Chamber of Commerce visited as a BESO representative and provided valuable advice and suggestions for making our Chamber's services more and more efficient. The training programme at Nepal Grindlays Bank Ltd. for middle level management undertaken in coordination with the bank and attended by more than 30 participants from our members is the first step towards conducting training programmes for our members. I thank Mr. Jeff Cox and Nepal Grindlays Bank Ltd., Nepal for the same.
The British Council celebrated 'Britain in Nepal Week' at the end of November and has shifted into its new building within the Embassy Premises.
The dialogue with the Government over industrial security is on and in the very near future, an Industrial Security Force may come into existence.
Rajendra K. Khetan

H.E. Ronald P. Nash's Message

I must thank the members of the NBCCI and particularly its highly active Executive Committee for embarking on such an active and relevant programme over recent months.
At the end of the monsoon period a team consisting of representatives from NBCCI, the Central Carpet Industries Association (CCIA) and the Embassy attended the Harrogate International Carpet Fair in the north of England, and subsequently there have been a series of significant steps both to increase British wool exports to Nepal and to facilitate and enhance Nepalese rug export to the UK. A core group of manufacturers and others has been set up with the assistance of the CCIA to take this forward, and we have also received in Kathmandu a visit by Richard Pool of the British Wool Marketing Board who has pursued this work with various contacts in the industry, and who has also established a permanent BWMB presence in Nepal through the NBCCI office in this Embassy. Richard Pool has also been looking carefully at the potential for importing British wool for use in the Nepalese knitwear industry, and there are real opportunities in this sector too.
It is perhaps worth recalling that we have also had a consultant in the country for the past month to advise Government on the future management of the State-owned sheep farms. The report will be ready shortly. The Government hopes that in due course a greater quantity of home produced wool can be included in Nepalese carpets.
Wool and carpets have not been the only activity. We held our AGM in the Annapurna Hotel at the end of October and it was attended by some 100 top business representatives, an uprecedented number of the NBCCI, and extremely gratifying. I would like to thank all the representatives of the private sector who took the trouble to join us that evening.
We also hosted a visit by a senior consultant from BESO, the British Executive Services Overseas, who was able to advise our bilateral chamber on how to make itself much more relevant, and to improve its services to members in the future. As a direct result of this attachment we have initiated with the assistance of Standard Chartered Grindlays a series of practical training courses for middle management. The first of these was held on November 26, 2000. We have also decided with immediate effect to go over to an email format for all correspondence with our membership.
The last few weeks have been hectic in the Embassy. We hosted visits by the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, and we also received Sir John Vereker, the head of Department for International Development in London. Sir John had talks with Prime Minister Koirala and other senior figures in the Government.
Looking ahead we have a full agenda. We shall continue our talks with officials and ministers on the issue of industrial security, and we are planning a major promotion of Malt Whisky in the Soaltee Hotel early December. I also expect, further senior UK ministerial visits to Kathmandu before the end of the year.
I should like to take this opportunity of sending my warmest seasonal greetings to all NBCCI members as we approach the Christmas and New Year Season.

New Logo for NBCCI
In the Executive Committee meeting of the Chamber held on 10th of November, 2000, the Chamber has adopted a new LOGO for itself. It represents more modern image and is in line with the increasing activities of the Chamber.