US supports UN role in Nepal's peace process : Boucher

Kathmandu, July 16 (UNI) US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said that the United States supports the role of the United Nations in the peace process of Nepal and disarming the Maoists.

"In terms of UN involvement to disarm and maintain peace, we agree to it," The Kathmandu Post today quoted Mr Boucher as saying.

"But political parties on their own should take sincere initiative in this regard," he stressed.

He said that the Nepal Army still has an important role to play, while the Maoists activists should disarm.

''Now Royal Nepalese Army has changed into a National Army. So far the response I get from my colleagues back in Nepal, they say that the army still does have an important role to provide security'' he said. ''They have expressed commitment to people's rule," Mr Boucher added.

"But the Maoists must disarm their armies for peace and security," he said.

Nepal government has sent letter to the UN secretary General Kofi Annan for UN's involvement in monitoring the activities of both forces and disarmament.

US government would not accept the Maoist rebels as a political force until the latter "completely" renounced violence, Mr Boucher stressed.

"The problem is with the Maoists. They have continued extortion, abduction and they haven't renounced violence," he said, noting the Maoists have expressed commitment to abandon violence. ''We have to see whether they really implement it in practice. We need to see how they come to the political process," he added.

UNI XC VD RS1435