Former US president Jimmy Carter Saturday ended his four-day visit to Nepal by drawing up a peace formula that deals a fresh blow to embattled King Gyanendra, endorsing the Maoist demand to abolish monarchy immediately through a parliamentary proclamation and putting pressure on the government to implement it by virtue of his endorsement.
The Nobel peace prize laureate, who personally handed over his suggestion to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Saturday, called his peace plan a 'balanced position' which could be modified by the major parties if they wanted.
'The proposals I have made are an adequate compromise to the demands I have met from the leaders of various parties,' Carter told the media at the end of the peace mission during which he met Koirala, Maoist chief Prachanda, three deputy commanders of the Maoists' guerrilla army, Election Commission officials, foreign envoys, UN officials and leaders of marginalized groups.
To end the deadlock gripping Nepal's peace process since September, when the Maoists quit the government and began demanding the immediate abolition of the monarchy as well as a fully proportional electoral system, Carter has suggested a compromise formula.
The octogenarian leader said an overwhelming majority of the parties he had met had said they supported the abolition of Nepal's two centuries old monarchy. So the former president is suggesting that parliament proclaim Nepal a republic, as per the Maoists' demand.
However, he is suggesting that the implementation be effected after a constituent assembly -- that will write a new pro-people constitution -- is convened after an election.
He is also advocating a mixed election system in which 70 percent of the seats would be chosen on the basis of proportional representation and the remaining 30 percent on a first past the post basis.
The Nobel peace prize laureate, who personally handed over his suggestion to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Saturday, called his peace plan a 'balanced position' which could be modified by the major parties if they wanted.
'The proposals I have made are an adequate compromise to the demands I have met from the leaders of various parties,' Carter told the media at the end of the peace mission during which he met Koirala, Maoist chief Prachanda, three deputy commanders of the Maoists' guerrilla army, Election Commission officials, foreign envoys, UN officials and leaders of marginalized groups.
To end the deadlock gripping Nepal's peace process since September, when the Maoists quit the government and began demanding the immediate abolition of the monarchy as well as a fully proportional electoral system, Carter has suggested a compromise formula.
The octogenarian leader said an overwhelming majority of the parties he had met had said they supported the abolition of Nepal's two centuries old monarchy. So the former president is suggesting that parliament proclaim Nepal a republic, as per the Maoists' demand.
However, he is suggesting that the implementation be effected after a constituent assembly -- that will write a new pro-people constitution -- is convened after an election.
He is also advocating a mixed election system in which 70 percent of the seats would be chosen on the basis of proportional representation and the remaining 30 percent on a first past the post basis.
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