Kathmandu,
19 Sep 2006 (IRIN)
Maoist rebel leaders and Nepal's seven-party interim government will hold talks within 10 days in an effort to rekindle the faltering peace process, designed to end a decade-long conflict in the Himalayan country. Over the past five months, the Maoists and the seven parties have been actively engaged in the peace process following the end of the absolute rule of the Nepalese monarch, King Gyanendra, after a mass uprising in April. However, concerns are rising on both sides about a growing mistrust between them and the lack of effective progress on ending violent in the kingdom, according to members of the negotiating teams.
So far, the Maoists have failed to agree to government demands to disarm their People's Liberation Army (PLA). Similarly, the seven parties have also refused Maoist demands to dissolve the existing parliament, which does not currently include Maoist representatives. Thn a bid to bring both sides together, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and rebel chief Prachanda agreed on resolving all the political problems to allow the peace process to carry on, the home minister said. top
For
the last 10 years, the Maoists had been waging an armed rebellion against
the state with demands for a new constitution and a communist republic.
The violent clashes between the two sides have cost the lives of nearly
14,000 people, including over 400 children at the hands of both the rebels
and state armed forces, according to local human rights group Insec.
Copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2006 [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations] Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), part of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). |