TMCnet News
Nepal elections lacked broad support, Japan says+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)KATHMANDU, Feb. 9_(Kyodo) _ Japan deplores that municipal elections called by Nepal's King Gyanendra were held without the broad support of the Nepalese people, according to a statement issued here Thursday by the Japanese government. The Himalayan kingdom's largest bilateral donor, Japan also regrets the arrests of political party workers during the elections Wednesday, said the statement, issued by the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. The statement was made available to Nepalese media Thursday evening by the Japanese Embassy. What Nepal needs now is for the government and political parties to reach out to each other in the spirit of reconciliation, and Japan expects that positive steps will be taken soon to that end, it said. Japan also continues to urge the Maoist insurgents to halt their acts of violence and seek to achieve peace through dialogue, the statement said. |