CFSP Statement
Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union regarding the Maoist bomb attack in Chitwan, Nepal on 6th June 2005

Date of release : 10-06-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

The EU condemns the Maoist bomb attack on a civilian bus in Chitwan on 6 June, in which dozens of people have been killed or injured. The EU condemns the use of violence for political ends in the strongest possible terms. Such attacks can only set back the cause of peace in Nepal and prolong the suffering of the Nepalese people. Deeply shocked by this brutal act the EU offers its heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and it's sympathy to those injured in the bomb attack.

The EU recalls its statement of 15 December 2004, following an EU Troika visit to Nepal, in which it urged the Maoists to renounce violence and commit to democracy and human rights, and condemned the Maoists' considerable human rights violations. The EU again calls upon the Maoists to end their culture of violence and intimidation, cease their human rights abuses and return to the negotiating table. The EU urges all parties to recognise that there cannot be a military solution to the conflict and instead commit themselves to a joint approach towards re-establishing dialogue and peace based on a negotiated settlement.

The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey and Croatia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.