Trump told to stop using envoy’s death for ‘mileage’

THE MOTHER of US Ambassador to Libya J Christopher Stevens, who was killed during a terror attack in Benghazi in 2012, has asked Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and the party to immediately stop their “opportunistic and cynical” use of her son’s death.

“I know for certain that Chris would not have wanted his name or memory used in that connection,” Mary Commanday wrote in a short letter to the editor of The New York Times.

“I hope that there will be an immediate and permanent stop to this opportunistic and cynical use by the campaign,” she said. Stevens, 52, is the first US Ambassador killed in the line of duty since 1979. The Benghazi attack took place on September 11, 2012, when Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic compound, killing Ambassador Stevens and US Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith.

The Benghazi attacks were frequently mentioned in speeches at last week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where speakers used it as a reason presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is unfit for the presidency, CNN reported. Clinton was secretary of state at the time of the attacks.

Some conservatives blame Clinton for security failures in Benghazi that they blame for the deaths. NEPAL PRIME Minister K P Oli who led the government for more than nine months at a time when country was facing multiple crisis — internal turmoil over the Constitution, post-earthquake misery and the alleged border blockade — bowed out of office in the face of a no-trust motion with numbers heavily going against him.

At the end of his two hour long speech, he announced that he had already handed over his resignation to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, along with a cabinet resolution authorising her to remove the ambiguity regarding the election of his successor , and expedite the process.

Earlier on Sunday, two main coalition partners Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Madhesi Peoples Rights Forumdemocratic led by Bijaya Gachhadar also with drew support from the government.

Oli’s resignation paves the way for election of Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, but may take a few weeks for the process to be formalised as the President will have to ask the Parliament to elect the Prime Minister through consensus. The process of inviting the election of a majoritybacked Prime Minister will follow only after the deadline for electing the new leader “through consensus” expires.

In his speech on Sunday, Oli seemed lacklustre and without his trademark sarcasm and bites as he responded to charges labelled against him by Dahal, the key mover of the motion.

Responding to Dahal’s accusation that implied that Oli was “psychologically and emotionally” closer to the monarchy, the outgoing PM asked him: “Maybe you were in some school when I served the life term for the Republic of Nepal.”

He also warned that a change of leadership at this point of time also reflected a hidden motive of “external forces” that are not comfortable with the current government over its stance during the alleged blockade and other crucial times.

Having apparently read the writing on the wall, Oli chose not to follow legal advice to continue as the caretaker Prime Minister till the next election as there was no provision in the current Constitution for election of a new PM. There were speculations that he may also have gone to the extent of dissolving the House.

He said these rumours were engineered despite repeated clarification from his side that the government would neither dissolve the Parliament, nor seek an extended lease of life under the cover of political complexities.

He also backed dialogue to address grievances of Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, who are opposed to the country’s new Constitution and had launched protests that led to the blockade of key trading points with India. “The demands of the agitating Madhesi parties could be addressed through peaceful means of dialogue and the Constitution could be amended to accommodate their demands,” he said. “There is no need to return to the agitation,” Oli said pointing to the Madhesi parties.

Earlier, speaking in favour of the motion, former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose party is likely to join the new coalition government, said the no-trust motion was a natural step to assert the lack of faith over the governance. He added there was nothing personal or conspiratorial against Oli.

WITH PTI INPUTS

Reuters K P Oli greets Prachanda after announcing his resignation in Parliament on Sunday.