New Delhi: Elections to the Constituent Assembly in Nepal will be held in next May-June, visiting Deputy Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli said on Tuesday.
''The final dates are yet to be con firmed but the election schedule shall be in May-June 2007,'' said Oli.
Oli had earlier delivered the Ninth Dinesh Singh Memorial Lecture on 'Recent Developments in Nepal: Foreign Policy Implications', organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs and the Indian Council for South Asian Cooperation at the Sapru House.
Answering questions from the select audience, Oli had earlier pointed to the need for further strengthening India-Nepal bilateral ties and synergising their complementarities for mutual benefit – both economic as well as social.
Nepal peace talks in final stage, says Oli
Peace talks between the Nepal government and Maoists are in the final stage, said Oli on Tuesday, adding that he hoped the rebels would give up arms soon.
"We all know that the talks are in the final stage of a positive conclusion and we hope that the Maoists will give up violence and join the political mainstream," said Oli.
Oli, however, added in the same breath: "The Maoists are still carrying out the policy of extortion, intimidation and abduction - activities that pose obstacles to the ongoing peace process."
He added that despite all this, the Maoists had agreed to place their arms under UN monitoring.
Oli, also the foreign minister, stressed that, "the question of proper management of arms is the key to the success of the peace process as well as the future of a democratic Nepal".
Hailing India as a "rising economic and political powerhouse", he said that India has a "bigger role as a partner in the making of a new Nepal".
Oli hoped that the proposed extradition treaty and the agreement on mutual legal assistance, once finalised, will give a big boost to Nepal-India cooperation in the area of security.
(With inputs from UNI and IANS)
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