United Nations Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffery Feltman has returned New York after wrapping up his three-day official visit to Nepal on Thursday morning.

The UN under secretary general was seen off by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN Division Head Tara Prasad Pokharel, UN Resident Representative in Nepal Jimmy McGoldrick and high-placed officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN Nepal Office at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

During a meeting with the Nepal Army Chief, under secretary general Feltman had lauded the contribution of Nepal Army in peacekeeping mission of the UN while in a meeting with SAARC secretary general Arjun Bahadur Thapa matters relating potential areas of cooperation between SAARC and UN were discussed.

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Visiting UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffery Feltman wrapped up his two-day official visit to Nepal, conveying a message to leaders across parties to conclude the ongoing constitution drafting process at the earliest through “compromise, flexibility and inclusivity.”

Under Secretary General Feltman, who arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday as representative of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, also urged political parties not to walk out of the Constituent Assembly (CA) or force a vote in the CA to promulgate a new constitution. “I do not know 100 percent consensus in many things is possible. But in our view there should be a broad support for such a document. This is not a mission impossible,” he said.

Although he did not specifically rule out new statute through voting in the CA, Feltman emphasized that a new constitution as the foundational document of the country should enjoy the widest possible support. “It is from that wide support of the Nepali people that the legitimacy of the constitution derives. That is why on behalf of the Secretary General, I strongly encourage the leaders to neither threaten to walk out nor force a vote, but rather to conclude the process through compromise, flexibility and inclusivity,” he said.

Addressing a press conference at the UN Office in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Feltman said garnering broad support of all political parties is in the best interests of the country. “We think this is possible; this is desirable and beneficial for Nepal to come to a broad based agreement on constitution,” he further said while adding, “Constitution is not just a routine piece of legislation.”

Feltman also urged political leaders in Nepal to rise above their personal and partisan interests to further Nepal´s national interests by delivering a new statute on time. “We appeal to all leaders to rise above their party ambitions and move forward in the national interests of the country as they did in 2006. This is a historic opportunity for the future of Nepal,” he said.