13/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - In a declaration on behalf of the European Union the Luxembourg Presidency condemned the Maoist bomb attack on a civilian bus in Chitwan on 6 June, in which dozens of people were killed or injured. The “EU condemns the use of violence for political ends in the strongest possible terms”, the Presidency says, adding that “such attacks can only set back the cause of peace in Nepal and prolong the suffering of the Nepalese people”. After the Troika's visit to the country last December, the EU had urged Maoists to stop the violence and to commit themselves to democracy. It therefore calls on them again to “end their culture of violence and intimidation, cease their human rights abuses and return to the negotiating table”.