US hopes Nepal pulls together

US: The United States voiced hope Thursday that all sides in Nepal would pull together after the prime minister resigned, saying it was "vitally important" to make progress in the peace process.

Madhav Kumar Nepal quit Wednesday in a bid to end a long stalemate. Nepal's Maoists, who waged a 10-year insurgency before entering mainstream politics and winning 2008 elections, are staking a claim to lead a new government. "It's vitally important that the peace process should go forward," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

"Perhaps the departure of the prime minister gives yet another opportunity for the various elements within Nepalese society to come together and reach an agreement that allows for the process to move forward and a return of stability to their country," he said.

The United States branded Nepal's Maoists as terrorists following a 2004 attack on the American Center in Kathmandu, a designation that remains a sore point for the former rebels.

Washington has agreed to reconsider the blacklisting if the former rebels move ahead in the peace process, including by renouncing the use of violence as a political instrument. WASHINGTON, Friday, AFP