Former U.S. president calls for U.S. to drop terrorist tag on Maoists

Visiting former U.S. president and co-founder of the Carter Center (CC), Jimmy Carter on Saturday said that the United States must establish lines of communication with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) regarding the removal of the terrorist tag imposed on them by the U.S..

Speaking at a press conference prior to his departure to the U. S. after completing his four-day visit to Nepal, Carter said that the present security situation in the country was "unacceptable" but lauded the strides made towards holding the Constituent Assembly elections.

Jimmy Carter

"The Maoists have complied with the United Nations requirements and disarmed to some degree. They have adopted the principle of multiparty democracy. The U.S. should establish communication with the Maoists," Carter said.

"A safe and secure environment is a core requirement for progress in the transition process," Carter said, adding that it is up to the people to decide on monarchy's future since Nepal is a sovereign nation.

"The country has set itself the established goals of holding the Constituent Assembly polls and I support the significant progress towards that objective," Carter said.

PD

Tags: Jimmy Carter, Terrorist, US, CPN(Maoist)