Kathmandu: The US has “encouraged” Maoist chief Prachanda to brief the international community on the ongoing peace process even as it sought close partnership with Nepal.
“We encouraged Prachanda to sit and brief the international community (on the progress of the peace process),” said US Ambassador Scott H DeLisi, who accompanied the senior US officials during the meetings with the top political leaders.
Principal US Deputy Assistant Secretary, Geoffrey R Pyatt who serves directly under Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Robert Blake, said, he was “enormously optimistic about the situation in Nepal”.
Pyatt met Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, Maoist chairman Prachanda, Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal.
The US officials said that they are keen to see Nepal develop a close partnership with the US in economic development, and specifically pointed out that Nepal and US can cooperate in hydropower and civil aviation sectors. (PTI)