Contact: In Atlanta, Deborah Hakes, +1 404 420 5124;
In Kathmandu, Sarah Levit-Shore, +977 985 110 0712
The Carter Center welcomes the recent agreement by Nepal's political parties as well as their decision to extend the Constituent Assembly tenure by three months.
"It now is critical for all parties to begin immediate implementation of these commitments in order to demonstrate to the Nepali public their genuine intentions to conclude the peace and constitutional drafting processes," said former U.S. President and Carter Center Co-Founder Jimmy Carter.
To meet their promises to the Nepali people, Nepal's political leaders should swiftly reach agreement on the modality, number, standard norms and packages for integration and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants, address other key peace process commitments, and seek resolution on outstanding constitutional issues to produce a draft constitution by Aug. 28, 2011. Further delays may threaten the historic achievements of Nepal's peace process.
Formation of a consensus government will facilitate these efforts, but should not distract from the main goals of making substantive progress on the peace process and finalizing the new constitution.
The Carter Center remains dedicated to supporting the people of Nepal as they continue along the path to sustainable peace and prosperity.
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The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, the Center has helped to improve life for people in more than 70 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; improving mental health care; and teaching farmers to increase crop production. Please visitwww.cartercenter.org to learn more about The Carter Center.
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