Nepal, May 11 -- On assuming office, Prime Minister Balendra Shah set an important precedent by jointly briefing foreign ambassadors on the new government's priorities. Earlier, ambassadors, especially from powerful countries, were often seen making a beeline to the private residence of a new Nepali prime minister. There was no institutional record of such meetings, which were held without representation from the foreign ministry. Even at other times, resident envoys of major powers like India, China and the US sought-and easily obtained-such off-the-record audiences with the executive head. Such meetings focused more on building interpersonal ties rather than on improving bilateral relations. This created a conflict of interest. Easy acc...