Kathmandu, Nepal (BBN)- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday lauded the “historic” progress made by the people of Nepal to restore peace and stability and reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to continue to support those efforts, as he began an official visit to Kathmandu.
“I come to congratulate the people of Nepal for the remarkable historic progress they have made in establishing peace, and in particular, for the successful election of the Constituent Assembly in a largely peaceful process last April that has earned the admiration and respect of the entire international community,” Mr. Ban said in a statement issued after his arrival in the Nepalese capital.
Nepal endured a decade-long civil war that claimed an estimated 13,000 lives until the government and the Maoists signed a peace deal in 2006 and conducted Constituent Assembly elections earlier this year.
In May, the South Asian nation abolished its 240-year-old monarchy and declared itself a republic. Ram Baran Yadav was subsequently elected as the country’s first President.
The UN chief will meet with President Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, other officials and members of the Constituent Assembly on Saturday. He will also visit Lumbini, the Buddha’s birthplace.
Following his visit to Nepal, Mr. Ban will travel to Bangladesh, the final stop on a trip that also took him to the Philippines.
BBN/SI/SSR/AD-01November08-10:50 AM (BST)
