UN chief congratulates Prachanda

NEW YORK: United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has congratulated Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as 'Prachanda', on becoming the Democratic Nepal's first Prime Minister.

"He (Ban) calls on all parties to cooperate with the new Government in order to carry forward Nepal's peace process," the Secretary-General's spokesman said.

Prachanda, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), was on Friday elected by the Constituent Assembly, which had elected the country's first President Ram Baran Yadav last month.