KATHMANDU, Nov 3: The Unified CPN (Maoist) on Tuesday sought support for its agitation programs from various diplomatic missions in Kathmandu. [break]
At a meeting held at the Hotel Annapurna participated by representatives from more than a dozen diplomatic missions including the United Nations (UN), Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the party´s foreign department chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara assured them of peaceful agitations and asked for their support.
“We told them our agitations will be peaceful and asked for their support,” Mahara said after the meeting.
Mahara also said that the diplomatic representatives requested the party leadership to seek a consensus for ending the ongoing political impasse. “They also said that the ongoing protests should be peaceful,” he added.
Ambassadors concerned over protests
Meanwhile, expressing "serious concern over the Maoists´ planned demonstrations, the heads of missions of have urged the party to "urgently reconsider the program".
A press statement issued by the British embassy Tuesday on behalf of all the mission heads who interacted with the Maoist leaders said that the mission heads urged Maoist Chairman Dahal to "respect the democratic process and to use the Constituent Assembly, Parliament and other peace process mechanisms to pursue their program of opposition".
They also called on the party to "respect the safety and right to freedom of movement of the people of Nepal, of foreign citizens, and of the representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations".
They underlined the significant damage the proposed closure of airports and obstruction of Nepal´s tourist infrastructure would do to the country´s reputation, particularly during the peak tourist season, and the resulting damage to the economy.
EU, Russian and United States representatives called on all parties to exercise restraint, and to work together in the spirit of the peace agreements to resolve differences and make sustained efforts to complete the timely and effective implementation of the agreements, the statement added.
The statement has been issued by the British embassy on behalf of the missions of Denmark, the European Commission, France, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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