The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Richard A Boucher, has stressed that the Maoists should lay down their arms, end terrorist acts and accept the rule of law for having place in the national politics.

Addressing the US House of Representatives International Relations Committee Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific in Washington DC on May 17, Boucher accused the Maoists of brutal insurgency and terror in the countryside using force.

Praising the will of the people expressed through the recent people’s movement that they were not ready to live under the autocratic monarch, he said, “We are looking at ways in which we can further strengthen democracy and through greater public participation in the political process, strengthen the momentum for peace.”

Indicating for resumption of financial assistance to the new government Boucher said, “We want to assist the Nepali people with projects that can promote economic recovery, especially in rural areas.”

“Areas in which we feel we can make a positive difference include technical assistance and equipment to the Parliament and to a constitutional reform process, assisting reintegration of internally displaced persons and funding election monitors,” he added.

He said, the Maoists must renounce violence and the instruments of control, such as extortion, that have terrorized Nepal. “Should they lay down their weapons, end their use of violence and intimidation and accept the rule of law, and accept the will of the Nepali people through the democratic process, there will be a place for them in Nepal’s political arena.

He further said, “Until the Maoists take steps to change their character, we will not be convinced that they have abandoned their stated goal of establishing a one-party, authoritarian state.”

Boucher was the first top foreign leader to visit Nepal after the restoration of democracy in Nepal . Prachanda stated Boucher has no right to levy US interest upon Nepalis.