UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe hascalled on Nepal’s political parties to take early decisions to bring the peace process to a successful conclusion. Briefing the UN Security Council in New York yesterday on his recent visit to Nepal, Pascoe said, the 15 January deadline for UNMIN’s withdrawal has created a new sense of urgency among the parties, and more focused thinking on how to end the prolonged impasse. He said there is need to translate thisnew-found sense of urgency into decision-making and concrete action.The Under-Secretary-General said that despite recent progress and important steps in the peace process, a political impasse remains and no breakthrough has been achieved. Pascoe stressed that dialogue continues across Nepal's political spectrum, adding that progress on forming a consensus government or on the substantive issues related to integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants could provide the critical momentum for a breakthrough.AIR Kathmandu Correspondent reports that Pascoe visited Nepal early this month and held extensive consultations with key stakeholders in the peace process, stressing that UNMIN’s priority will continue to be working with the parties to ensure its smooth withdrawal from Nepal by15th of January next.