Socialist International welcomes peace agreement in Nepal

The Socialist International warmly welcomes the peace agreement signed yesterday between the government of Nepal and the rebel insurgents, bringing to an end the eleven year armed conflict that has cost over 13,000 lives and which has continuously destabilised that Himalayan country.

 

The Socialist International extends its congratulations to the coalition government of Nepal, and most particularly to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, of the Nepali Congress Party, a member of the Socialist International, for making this Comprehensive Peace Accord a reality. With its signing, both the government and the rebel leadership have managed to set out a new course, in which politics and dialogue, not violence and terror, are the framework upon which to move forward the real agenda for development, prosperity and the wellbeing of the Nepalese people.

This is a good news for Nepal, as it is for all those in different parts of the world who also seek to replace conflict and confrontation with negotiation and peace.

The Socialist International will do its utmost to contribute to the success of these accords, and in line with this, will gather in Kathmandu for a meeting of its members from the Asia-Pacific region in the coming month of February, as announced at its recent Council meeting in Chile, to discuss, together with its hosts, the road ahead for peace and democracy in Nepal.