NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Pushpa Adhikari in Kathmandu
For the first time in six years since the Maoist insurgency started in Nepal, the ruling Nepali Congress has backed a bid to open a dialogue with the rebel leadership to end the problem.
The Nepali Congress, in its central working committee meeting on Friday, unanimously decided to sanction talks between new Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and the rebel leadership.
"The CWC discussed the Maoist issue and gave its clear mandate to Prime Minister Deuba to hold talks with the Maoists," a CWC member present at the meeting told Indo-Asian News Service.
The central committee meeting was called to discuss the recent ceasefire between the government and Maoist rebels after Deuba assumed power two weeks ago and the peace process that followed.
"The CWC discussed the 40-point demand put forward by the rebels six years ago and a proposal was made to address the demands phase wise, 10 at a time," the CWC member said.
Sushil Koirala, who was a contender for the prime minister's post after G P Koirala stepped down in July, told reporters that Deuba briefed the central committee members on the recent developments in connection with the peace process at the beginning of the meeting. "The meeting then asked Deuba to go ahead for talks with the rebels," he said.
According to the Nepali Congress central office, the next meeting of the CWC is likely to be held Monday.
Analysts have been cautious in their response to the ceasefire and Deuba's peace initiatives. "The government of Sher Bahadur Deuba is said to be in constant touch with the Maoist leadership and working hard to make the current ceasefire a permanent one. But with the Maoists pressing for their 40-point demands, including establishing a republic, the cease-fire is bound to break very soon," a political scientist said .
"The ratio of captives (abducted police personnel and detained Maoists) being freed is one to ten. This way, Maoists will get all their people within a month under the pretext of a ceasefire and when they would like to break it, government would have nothing left to bargain," he said.
Indo-Asian News Service
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
