The speech by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Donald Camps (#135) would be amusing if it were not so scary. For Camp to claim that the current ceasefire is a tangible signal of our (US) policy success is untrue, arrogant and risks derailing carefully negotiated peace talks before they have begun. To further state that the US will not let the Maoists prevail smacks of interference where it is neither welcome or necessary. It also shows a total lack of understanding of events in Nepal. The claimed coordination of military aid with Great Britain, India and China risks escalating and internationalising a domestic conflict whilst plainly demonstarting US naivety in thinking that such an internal conflict can be resolved militarily rather than through dialogue. It would appear that the US fails to recognise that the injustices perpetrated by successive so-called democratic elected governments in Nepal, supported by US foreign policy, are the direct cause of the current conflict and the significant level of popular support that the Maoists enjoy within the country. The most worrying and frightening aspect of such statements is that they will be unquestioningly believed by the majority of the American people. It is incumbent on the Nepali government and media to ensure that these misconceptions are corrected before they can do lasting damage.

Andrew Duncan,
Nairobi, Kenya