Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Left endorses US stand on Nepal as it asks PM to push it forward

Ananda Majumdar
Posted online: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 0000 hrs

NEW DELHI, April 11: Despite its strong anti-American stand on Indo-US engagement, the Left parties find themselves on the same platform as the US on the question of restoration of democracy in Nepal as they push the UPA Government to mobilise international opinion to bring popular rule to the Himalayan Kingdom.

So much so that when US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack issued a statement that King Gyanendra’s decision to impose direct palace rule had failed in every regard and he must now restore democracy immediately and begin talks with political parties, the Left endorsed that as a “strong statement.”

One difference between the US and the Left is that while Washington does not recognise the Maoists, the Left—despite their strong battle with the Maoists in India—have brought them into the negotiations on Nepal’s future.

Using the US statement as a sign of growing international opinion against Nepal’s monarchy, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury and Nationalist Congress Party’s D P Tripathy met the Prime Minister today. The two, part of India’s 12-party Nepal solidarity committee, made two specific suggestions to Manmohan Singh: India use its good offices to mobilise international opinion and be sympathetic to Nepalese who flee from repression.

The PM responded that India wanted establishment of multiparty democracy in Nepal, and had suspended arms supply."
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