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LDN welcomes peace accord

Liberal Democracy Nepal (LDN) has welcomed the signing of the long awaited detailed Peace Accord between the Nepal government and the Maoists to end the decade-long conflict in the country.

In a statement on Wednesday, the US-based Nepali organization said, "We welcome their commitment to finding a peaceful solution through dialogue, negotiations, and through the electoral process and hope that the newly signed accord will pave the way for the Nepali people to live in peace, and that it will allow them to choose the new government through the process of free and fair elections in an environment without the fear of violence and intimidation."

The organization said it anticipates that the Maoist would permanently and irreversibly shun violence and arms, and join mainstream competitive party politics as an unarmed political party.

The organization expressed hope that all political parties would respect the will of the people, function in a transparent manner and completely abandon corruption, nepotism and favoritism.

"We believe that actions contemplated in the accord must be enacted through due process of law. This will ensure that the political changes and transition that Nepalis have long awaited will achieve necessary legitimacy and permanence," the statement reads.

"We applaud the efforts of all sides for their role in nurturing the necessary conditions for negotiations, and for enabling all Nepalis to come together as the rightful stakeholders in the peace process. However, we also recognize that entering into peace agreement alone is not sufficient for creating lasting peace," it said.

The organization has also urged the UN, international community, civil society, political parties, and the citizens to be vigilant and play a constructive role during this critical hour. nepalnews.com ia Nov 22 06