They have also urged the political parties in Nepal to set aside their differences and work together to agree on the creation of a more prosperous, equitable and democratic Nepal.
In a statement issued on the occasion of the third anniversary of the signing of the CPA, the heads of mission have also urged the political parties to continue to abide by the agreement signed between the then seven-party alliance and then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on November 21, 2006.
“… a group of heads of mission in Nepal welcomes the steps that Nepal has taken to achieve permanent and sustainable peace. However, we are increasingly concerned that progress on implementing the agreements has stalled,” said the joint statement issued by the Royal Norwegian Embassy on behalf of the heads of mission on Friday.
They have also expressed worry over slow pace of constitution drafting and of work related to rehabilitation and integration of the Maoist ex-combatants. The Constituent Assembly has already fallen behind schedule. Differences among political parties continue to persist over the future structure and government of Nepal.
“A failure to agree on a vision for the future and to draft the constitution on time will be a clear disregard of the expectations and aspirations of Nepal´s citizens and will set back the country´s economic and social development,” the heads of mission said in the statement.
The heads of mission issuing the joint statement included those of Australia, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
Many of the commitments in the CPA have remained unimplemented, they pointed out. The work on rehabilitation and integration of former Maoist combatants is underway while the promised mechanism to bring justice to the victims of conflict like a disappearance commission and truth and reconciliation commission are still not in place and impunity has remained unaddressed.
Urging the parties to translate their public commitments into concrete actions to implement the peace agreement, the diplomatic community has also expressed their continued readiness to support the peace process.
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