US weighs in on Nepal

Nepal situation not good: Rocca

The United States is alarmed at the success of Maoist rebels in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal and fears the war might cause regional instability, Reuters reported from Washington Tuesday quoting the top U.S. diplomat in charge of South Asia policy.

"The Maoists are doing very well and the government of Nepal seems to be unable to pull together to deal with the issue. This is an area of great concern to us. The situation in Nepal is really not looking very good, U. S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca told reporters from the Defence Writers Group, Reuters said.

Rebels and government negotiated a ceasefire to the seven-year insurgency February 13-14. "May be this is a reason for hope but the fact of the matter is it's a deteriorating situation," she added. Washington last year approved $12 in military assistance to Nepal--down from a pledged $20 million.

"It's to help the government of Nepal have enough force to bring the Maoists to the table, because it is not a dispute that's going to be resolved through force." Rocca said. Rocca said that if the fighting continued it could lead to a refugee exodus and a humanitarian crisis.

"This is a real threat to regional stability. The threat of Nepal becoming victim to ever-escalating violence could lead to tremendous problems. We are already seeing people leaving," she added. Rocca last visited Nepal in December last year and met King Gyanendra, government and opposition leaders and journalists to discuss the Maoist issue.

nepalnews.com br Feb.5