Church official in Nepal seeks U.N. mediation to end political strife

Published: 2003-10-29

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A church official in Nepal appealed for outside mediation to help end political strife in the Himalayan country. The appeal came after Maoist rebels killed nine people, including six policemen, in an attack on a police post Oct. 28. It was the third such attack in recent days. "The situation is precipitating. It calls for a third party to mediate. We ask for an intervention by the United Nations. Only this will restore dialogue," Jesuit Father Pius Perumana, pro-prefect of the apostolic prefecture in Nepal, told the Vatican missionary news agency, Fides. The rebels are seeking to overthrow Nepal's monarchy with a republic. Some 8,000 people reportedly have died in the fighting over the last eight years. Father Perumana said the "tension is tangible" and fear is spreading in the country.

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