Kathmandu, August 18

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala today said the new constitution would a document of compromise and it would accommodate voices from all walks of life.

“We are a heterogeneous society. Differences are there,” the Prime Minister said while receiving a delegation of the US House of Representatives at his office, “We are trying our best to accommodate the concerns of all people to ensure that the document is acceptable to all of us.”

The six-member bipartisan Delegation of House Democracy Partnership of US Lower House — led by Congressman Vern Buchanan — called on PM Koirala at his office in Singha Durbar.

The US lawmakers also assured that the United States was ready to extend long-term support to strengthen Nepal’s democracy and provide assistance to reconstruction of infrastructure devastated by the April 25 earthquake. “Let us know if we can do anything. We are committed to long-term engagement in reconstruction efforts in Nepal,” the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Dinesh Bhattarai quoted Buchanan as saying.

The US Congressman recalled that the US House of Representative also observed a minute of silence for the loss of lives and property in Nepal due to the devastating temblor, which claimed almost 9,000 lives and wounded over 22,000 people across the country.

“Nepal overcame a decade-long armed insurgency, and now it faced the tragic natural disaster,” Buchanan was quoted as telling PM Koirala. Despite these odds, Nepal is getting closer to promulgation of the new constitution. We congratulate you and the Nepali people for this progress.”

The US lawmakers inquired how democracy could be strengthened and institutionalised in Nepal. They also underscored the US government’s long term commitment to Nepal’s post-quake rebuilding and recovery process. The US government has pledged $130 million to Nepal for its reconstruction following the quake.