The US, which has been accused of interference in the internal affairs of Nepal by the ruling Maoist party, on Thursday blamed the former rebels for creating obstacles in the framing of the new constitution that is crucial to the landmark peace process in the country.
The CPN-Maoist, which has been locked in a prolonged tussle with the military, had alleged that "tremendous pressure" from the US and India was preventing them from sacking Army chief Rookmangud Katawal, accused of disobeying the Prachanda-led government.
Even as US ambassador Nancy J. Powell declined to comment on the ongoing standoff between the government and the Nepal Army, she blamed the youth wing of the ultra-left group for the delay in the framing of the new constitution after the abolition of the unpopular 240-year old monarchy.
Powel said that the Young Communist League, the Maoists’ youth affiliate, was the main obstacle in drafting the new constitution, according to a report in the Telegraph Nepal online on Thursday.
The envoy, who took part in different functions in the popular tourist town of Pokhara in northwest Nepal, underlined that the US "will not interfere in the matters pertaining to the decision of Nepal Government in the affairs of the Army".
While the United States is yet to to remove the Maoists from its terrorist blacklists, Washington has reversed its previous policy of not dealing with the ultra leftist group. Prime Minster Prachanda met the then US President George W Bush during his September visit to New York to attend the UN Summit last year.
{{/usCountry}}While the United States is yet to to remove the Maoists from its terrorist blacklists, Washington has reversed its previous policy of not dealing with the ultra leftist group. Prime Minster Prachanda met the then US President George W Bush during his September visit to New York to attend the UN Summit last year.
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