By IANS
New Delhi : India has welcomed the agreement reached between the seven political parties in Nepal, which ended the deadlock in the political establishment and paved the way for Constituent Assembly elections in April 2008.
“This is an encouraging development in the right direction,” said external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna Monday on the 23-point agreement reached after three months of political crisis following the Maoists walking out of the ruling alliance.
India, however, made did not make any comment on a crucial part of the agreement, which was the sacking of the monarchy following the CA elections.
Noting that the agreement had given the CA elections “central importance”, the spokesperson said that the “exercise of the people’s right to elect a Constituent Assembly in a free, fair and fearless manner is the best way to enable the people of Nepal to choose their own future”.
India hoped that the new deadline of mid-April 2008 for holding the elections will be adhered. “We hope that all concerned will work towards maintaining the new deadline for CA elections,” Sarna said.
The spokesperson asserted that India stood ready to “assist in every possible way, Nepal’s transition to a democratic, stable, peaceful and prosperous state”.
The agreement reached on Sunday included a clause for 58 percent of the members of Constituent Assembly to be elected through proportional election – a key demand of the Maoists.
Nepal’s new constitution will declare the Himalayan kingdom a federal democratic republic, with the actual sacking of the king to occur only in April after the twice-deferred constituent assembly election is held.