Kofi Annan welcomes Nepal peace deal

UN chief Kofi Annan welcomes the landmark peace deal between Nepal's ruling parties and Maoist rebels.

UN chief Kofi Annan welcomes the landmark peace deal between Nepal's ruling parties and Maoist rebels but urges both sides to carry out their commitments, his spokesman has said.

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"The secretary general heartily welcomes the agreement reached between the seven-party alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Wednesday.

"This agreement offers the people of Nepal a historic opportunity to end the armed conflict in their country, and to build sustainable peace within an inclusive and democratic state," he added.

Annan said the United Nations plans to respond quickly to calls to assist in key areas of the peace process in the Himalayan kingdom but urged both sides to "maintain the momentum of the peace process by fully carrying out the commitments they have made."

The Maoists rebels declared an end to a decade of armed struggle and renounced violence following the deal with the impoverished nation's ruling parties.

The parties and the rebels struck the deal early on Wednesday after marathon 16-hour talks to end the revolt that has claimed over 12,500 lives since 1996.