Reiterating the American position on the current Nepali politics, US ambassador James Francis Moriarty has told reporters in Nepalgunj that he considers armed activities of the Maoists as obstructing the peace process.

US ambassador to Nepal James F Moriarty (File photo)

US ambassador to Nepal James F Moriarty (File photo)
“The arms and violence of Maoists are obstructions to the peace process,” he told the media. He added that there is big difference in the speech and action of the Maoists. “Their activities are violent,” he said.

The American Ambassador completed his three day visit to various districts of mid and far western Nepal on Thursday. During his visit, Moriarty met with political party leaders and civil society representatives. He had gone there in order to oversee the flood relief operation conflict mitigation programs launched in support of the USAID.

Since the day one of his visit, Moriarty has attracted fierce criticism from the Maoists who have accused that he went there just to spread propaganda and spoil the peace process.

The US government has been consistently stating that the Maoists must first abandon violence and weapons before they can be considered as legitimate political parties.

Ever since the political change in April, there has been a flurry of visits by American officials and political leaders.

The US assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, Richard Boucher, was the first senior foreign dignitary to visit Nepal after the political upheaval in April. The top US official in charge of the regional affairs met a number of leaders, officials, army chief and the civil society members.

Three months later, a top senator Arlene Specter, chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee (which looks after issues including terrorism), came visiting followed by a bi-partisan congressional delegation in late August led by Republican Jim Kolbe. All of them underscored the need for the Maoists to abandon the path of violence first.