Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter meets Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, June 15, 2007. (Nepal Dep't of Information)
Former President Jimmy Carter offered a proposal Saturday to Nepal's government and former communist rebels to help end a political deadlock that has held up the country's elections.
The former guerrillas, known as Maoists, suspended their armed revolt last year. They signed a peace accord and joined Parliament and the ruling coalition this year.
However, they quit the government two months ago, demanding that the monarchy be immediately abolished - a move that forced the postponement of the elections, initially planned for Nov. 22. No new date has been set.
Carter told reporters he had suggested that all sides should agree that the monarchy would be abolished immediately after elections for an assembly to draft a new constitution, and that minor changes be made to the election system.
Carter, who also visited Nepal in June, gave the proposal to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
"It is a specific proposal that I think will not only meet the need of all major parties and also the marginalized groups, but also provide strong encouragement for all the major parties, including the Maoists, to participate in the election," Carter said.Carter held talks with Koirala, the Maoists and leaders of the main political parties during his four-day visit, which ended Saturday.
Nepal's government has asked the former president's Carter Center, based in Atlanta, Georgia, to observe the election for a Constituent Assembly, which is to rewrite the constitution and decide the country's future political system. The assembly would have the option of restoring the monarchy if it were abolished as Carter suggested.
Click here for more GPB coverage about Jimmy Carter.
