"Powell said the act of removing the Maoists from the US terrorist list is delayed due to bureaucratic process,"

According to a Maoist source, Nancy J Powell US ambassador to Nepal during the recent meeting with Prachanda said the US government should remove the Maoists from its terrorist list.

Powell assured Prachanda that her government would soon remove the Maoists from the terrorist list. "Powell said the act of removing the Maoists from the US terrorist list is delayed due to bureaucratic process," the source said.

The Maoist chairman, accompanied by senior leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai, told Powell that the Maoists want to maintain good relations with the US.

During the meeting, Powell also encouraged Prachanda to ensure that all Maoist organizations illustrate their commitment to the political process through their words and actions.

The US placed the CPN (Maoist) in its Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entities list in October 2003 through an executive order (no. 13224) signed by President George W. Bush.