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Excerpt: Nepal Has U.S. Support Against Maoist Rebels

(Boucher condemns rebel attacks, Nov 28) (340)
The United States condemns Maoist attacks in Nepal and supports the
government's efforts to protect its citizens and officials, State
Department Spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters in Washington
November 28.
"We've called on the Maoists to pursue any goals they might have
peacefully within the Nepalese constitution, and we've said we clearly
support the Nepali government efforts to protect its citizens and
officials," Boucher said.
Maoist rebels increased attacks on government facilities in southern
Nepal beginning November 23, prompting Nepalese authorities to declare
a nationwide state of emergency. With rebels calling for continued
violence and a general strike, the State Department has urged American
citizens to take precautions while traveling in Nepal.
Following is an excerpt from Boucher's November 28 briefing dealing
with Nepal:
(begin excerpt)
Q: The situation in Nepal is deteriorating pretty badly, or has
deteriorated. Last night you guys put out a notice saying you were
restricting your diplomats' travel severely and said that basically
the entire country was unsafe. On Monday, the embassy in Katmandu said
it supported the government's efforts to rein in this Maoist violence
and -- or violence from the Maoist rebels, and called them terrorists.
I'm just wondering, is the U.S. -- is the U.S. prepared to do anything
like the Indians have offered to do in assisting, other than in words
and in moral support, the Nepalese as they try to crush this
insurgency?
MR. BOUCHER: We've -- as you say, we've clearly condemned these
attacks. We've called on the Maoists to pursue any goals they might
have peacefully within the Nepalese constitution, and we've said we
clearly support the Nepali government efforts to protect its citizens
and officials. We are in close touch with the Nepalis -- Nepalese
government about this. At this point I don't have any specific steps
of support to talk about, but we have an ongoing relationship with
Nepal and Nepal's military, and I'm sure that we will continue to work
with them.
(end excerpt)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)