US offers $50 M assistance to Nepal

POKHARA, June 12: U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, James F. Moriarty announced Tuesday that the U.S. government would extend a financial assistance of more than US $ 50 million to Nepal.

He said of the total assistance, US $ 8 million would be used to launch programme geared at consolidating democracy.

Similarly, US $18 M of the assistance would go into health related programme such as curbing of HIV/AIDS, US $ 6 M for agriculture and education, US $ 8.3 M for humanitarian activities and more than US $ 10 M will go into supporting the constituent assembly elections.

Moriarty was given tight security while in Pokhara. He had interacted with political party leaders, leaders of indigenous communities and top administrative and security officials during his stay in Pokhara.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador Moriarty Tuesday accused the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) of failing to act like a mainstream political party despite joining the interim government.

The U.S. envoy made the remark while addressing the friends and supporters of the Community Information Center here today.

"Maoist leaders talk about gearing their party toward the political mainstream, but they have not succeeded to maintain transparency at the people's level," he said adding, they have not even been able to fulfill the commitment for non-violence found in a democratic party.

Focussing his entire deliberations on the CPN (Maoist), Moriarty said the Maoists had been accusing him of impeding the peace process, but the peace process is facing hitches because of the Maoist atrocities rather than his statements.

"Peace is not only the absence of war, Maoists have been destabilizing the peace process through their threats and violence," he said.

The future of all Nepalese is being pushed into jeopardy, Moriarty maintained.

The U.S. is strongly in support of peace and democracy in Nepal. It has been extending its support to the ongoing effort to hold the November elections to the constituent assembly in a peaceful manner, he said adding, "We, however, are unable to have a clear stance because of the Maoist activities."

In an apparent reference to the activities of the Young Communist League, he said the abduction of a businessman recently by the YCL and its attacks on politicians during meetings was pushing the nation toward division and instability.

He also pointed at the seizure of property of common people by the Jantantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) and the murder of two by the JTMM cadres and said such anarchist activities was inviting instability in Nepal.

The U.S. envoy said though no political party could be allowed to keep its army in a democracy, the Maoists were doing so. He accused the CPN (Maoist) of resorting to extortion by mobilising its youth wing.

He said that the Maoists had before them an opportunity to prove to the people that they were committed to peace and democracy. "This they need to prove before the constituent assembly elections."

Referring to the movement in the Terai, he said the government should address the issue of inclusiveness at the earliest possible. It must respond to the grievances of those forced to bear the brunt of violence and killings. It must book the cadres of the JTMM involved in murder, he said.

Moriarity, whose term is coming to an end shortly said he loved Nepal and the Nepalese people and wished that the constituent assembly elections would pave the way toward getting rid of the fear among the people apart from being triumphant over a one party dictatorial rule.

Rising Nepal