Former US President Jimmy Carter arrived in Kathmandu Wednesday afternoon on a four-day visit to Nepal.
Former US President Jimmy Carter, co-founder of The Carter Center and 2002 Nobel Laureate arrives in Kathmandu for a four day visit, Wednesday, June 13 07. Photo courtesy: The Carter Center

Carter landed in Tribhuvan International Airport at around 13:00 pm. Acting foreign secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya and US ambassador to Nepal James F Moriarty received him at the airport.

2002 Nobel Laureate and co-founder of The Carter Center, the 84-year-old former President leads a delegation that includes former US Ambassador A. Peter Burleigh, Carter Center Democracy Program Director Dr. David Carroll, and Carter Center Nepal Field Director Darren Nance.

A press statement issued by The Carter Centre's Nepal office said the objective of Carter’s visit is “to encourage Nepal’s political leaders to continue on the path to peace as they prepare to hold constituent assembly elections”.

During his stay here, he will meet with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Maoist chairman Prachanda, UML general secretary Madhav Nepal and other senior political leaders, officials of the Election Commission, and representatives of civil society organisations and marginalised groups.

His delegation will also receive updates from The Carter Center’s long-term election observers who have been deployed throughout Nepal since March. The Carter Center was formally invited by the Government of Nepal to observe the constituent assembly election process and is the only international election observation organisation currently deployed here.

This is Carter’s second visit to Nepal. He had visited several places during his first visit to Nepal in 1985. He will address a news conference at the end of his visit on June 16. nepalnews.com mk June 13 07