Kathmandu, March 23:

Urging the Maoists to call a ceasefire and renounce violence permanently, British ambassador to Nepal, Keith George Bloomfield, today said all concerned would draw appropriate conclusions if the Maoists continued to play only tactical games.

“If it becomes clear that the Maoists are in fact only playing tactical games and are unwilling to move forward into a meaningful peace process and an outcome based on multi-party democracy, all of us will have to draw appropriate conclusions,” he said.

He said the Maoists need to demonstrate, in a far more convincing way than they have hitherto, that they recognise their arms have to be put beyond use if a political settlement is to be achieved.

“Without such a demonstration, nobody in the country or in the inernational community will give their claimed conversion to democracy and credibility whatsover,” said Bloomfield. He was speaking at an interaction between the visiting British cross-party parliamentary group and the Nepali political leaders organised by Ganesh Man Singh Academy.

“Many would contend that the resumption of Maoist violence following the end of their truce in January proves the mind-set change has not yet occured,” he added.