Kathmandu, September 19:

A former US ambassador to Nepal, Julia Chang Bloch has said that Nepalese government has been isolated in the international community after the royal takeover on February 1. “King Gyanendra not attending the United Nations’ General Assembly is an indication that the Nepalese government today is isolated,” said Bloch, who is also president of the US-China Education Trust, which is working to promote relations between the United States and China. She urged the King and political parties in Nepal to reconcile while there was still time. Stating that Nepal was not yet ready to move ahead without King, Bloch said, “The political parties, however, have abandoned constitutional monarchy, so the situation is changing.” Bloch urged the King to reach out to the “legiti-mate political parties so that he can still be a constitutional monarch, and not an absolute monarch.”

“The King needs to restore multiparty democracy, civil liberties and release political detainees,” she said, adding that there would be “no better time than now for the King to show his commitment.” Urging the King to listen to people’s aspirations, she said, “I don’t know who the King is listening to. If the palace could be more open and listen to more people, the King would be better able to make decision.” She warned that the monarchy would lose everything in the long run as the position of international community is disheartening against the King. Citing the increased development index and level of education, she said, “You can’t say no progress has been made, but it is a fact the government couldn’t deliver what people expected (in the last fourteen years).

That is not the reason to dismiss or do away with democracy because only democracy can deliver to the people in Nepal.” When asked why United States has not yet comment on unilateral ceasefire declared by the Maoists for three months, Bloch said that she could only guess that there had been ceasefires even in the past and probably US was observing if this was a legitimate one. On the possibility of United Nations role as intermediary to resolve Nepal’s conflict she said, “If all parties in Nepal agree, the UN can play that vital role.” She repeated that there could be no military solution to the Maoist insurgency. “The way-out lies with the people of Nepal and King needs to respond to the seven parties’ alliance, which has common agenda of restoration of democracy, reinstatement of parliament and dissolution of Royal Commission for Corruption Control,” concluded Bloch, who is also affiliated with the University of Maryland as Ambassador-in-Residence of the Institute for Global Chinese Affairs. Bloch spoke from Washington in a digital video conference organized by American Centre here on Monday.