Sujata Koirala asks Maoists to join Nepal's government

Kathmandu, Jun 5: Nepal's Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala today asked the Maoists to join the ruling coalition, saying the government will pursue the policy of consensus and collaboration to successfully complete the peace process.

"I call upon the Maoists to join the government as their support and cooperation is essential for the successful conclusion of the peace process as well as drafting the new constitution within the stipulated time," Koirala told PTI shortly after assuming the office.

54-year-old Koirala yesterday joined the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led coalition government leading a six member team from the Nepali Congress.

"There is a need for cooperation and collaboration in order to move the country in the path of development by taking the peace process to its logical conclusion," she said.

"If the country remains unstable it will benefit none. Therefore, I ask all sides to lend cooperation to the new government," she said.

Earlier, newly elected Prime Minister Nepal had appealed to Maoists to join his government. However, the Maoists rejected the offer.

Sujata, who studied in Shanti Niketan in West Bengal, has spent many years in India when her father Girija Prasad Koirala was in exile during the struggle for democracy.PTI