The Nepali Congress (Democratic) has decided that constituent assembly should top its agenda, followed by process to bring the army under the parliament.

The party also decided to go by the the road map of the alliance. The party has agreed to keep its separate identity in the House of Representatives (HoR) but will not go against the whip issued by Nepali Congress.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress today named a five-member Inter-Party Coordination Committee headed by General Secretary Ram Chandra Paudel as coordinator. Members include Ram Sharan Mahat, Mahesh Acharya, Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Dilendra Prasad Badu.

The NC (D) was formed after split in the NC after the dissolution of the HoR and the party does not have recognition as a separate party in the parliament.

Four members of the reinstated HoR are losing their seats from Friday, the day when House convenes after a four-year gap.

Two members each from the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML are losing their membership, as they had formed separate parties or quit the parties which they represented in the 1999 parliamentary polls.

NC has decided to expel Prakash Koirala and Narayan Singh Pun from the Nepali Congress. Koirala, elected from Rautahat-4, has formed the Nepali Congress (Nationalist) and Pun, elected from Myagdi, has formed the Nepal Samata Party. Both the leaders accepted position in the royal government.

The Nepali Congress has already sent a letter to parliament requesting the speaker to scrap the membership of Koirala and Pun.

Likewise, CPN-UML has decided to expel Prem Bahadur Singh and Nara Bahadur Budha. nepalnews.com pb Apr 27 06

United States (US) Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, is arriving Kathmandu on May 2 to access the recent developments in Nepal.

Reports quoted a spokesperson for the US Embassy as saying that Boucher, who will meet key political leaders and civil society representatives, would leave Nepal on May 3.

This is the first Nepal visit of Boucher after his appointment as Assistant Secretary of the State.

Report quoted him as saying that the US would consider renewing military aid to Nepal, but the assistance would depend on the army’s support of the political process here.

The US along with India and UK had stalled military assistance to Nepal following the February 1 royal takeover of the last year.

The US embassy spokesperson however did not comment on the resumption of military assistance.

This would be the first visit of a senior foreign official following the political change in the country. nepalnews.com pb Apr 27 06

The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) launched an aerial attack at Tharpu in Chang VDC of the Tanahu district on Wednesday after receiving information of armed Maoists holding a meeting at the local Min Secondary School, reports said.

The RNA helicopter reached the site 15 minutes after the Maoists, who were around 1,000 in number, returned to Tharpu Bazaar after attending the mass meeting on the school premises, according to reports.

The copter started firing after hovering in the air for sometime, eyewitnesses said. However, there was no casualty. Many Maoist cadres managed to hide in secure spots while some hid near the road along Prithvi Highway.

“The RNA helicopter circled the area about 9-10 times before starting firing,” The Himalayan Times daily quoted a local, Bimala Shrestha as saying.

The Maoists had blocked the road at Ghumti of Chang VDC in the east and Thatitar in the west by parking vehicles across the road.

The paper quoted district based security sources as saying that the RNA helicopter reached Tharpu after the army got information about the highway being blocked.

Sources added that the RNA men had to take retaliatory action after Maoists started firing at the helicopter. nepalnews.com pb Apr 27 06

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has welcomed the reinstatement of the House of Representatives (HoR) in Nepal and called on the new transitional Government and the CPN (Maoist) to declare indefinite ceasefire and jointly to sign a human rights code of conduct as one of several confidence-building measures towards peace.

A press statement issued by the ICJ on Wednesday, quoted Secretary-General Nicholas Howen as saying, “The reinstatement of parliament is a major step on the long path towards re-establishing democracy in Nepal and ensuring that democracy is stable and brings benefits to all people of Nepal.”

“Human rights and democracy have been courageously defended by a largely peaceful movement in Nepal. It is essential that the King of Nepal and the Royal Nepalese Army now fully respect the authority of the transitional Government and that the international community remains focused on and supportive of the huge tasks ahead,” Howen added.

The ICJ also urged to take series of confidence-building measures to create an environment in which the remaining questions about how Nepal will be governed can be resolved and in which a negotiated political process can begin to end the 10-year armed conflict.

“The 12-point agreement signed by the Seven Party Alliance and the Maoists in November 2005 sets out many commitments to human rights and the rule of law that should now be put into practice by both the transitional Government and the Maoists”, said Nicholas Howen.

The ICJ also urged the Maoists and the Government to declare indefinite ceasefires and to agree a human rights code of conduct, which the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) could be asked to monitor as confidence-building measures that reduce violence and pave the way to a political process.

The Government should also now move to stop the human rights violations that are being carried out by Nepal’s security forces.

The ICJ also urged the government to replace ordinances issued by King Gyanendra without a democratic process and that infringe on the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of Nepal, including the Terrorist and Destructive Activities (Control and Punishment) Ordinance, the Media Ordinance, the National Human Rights Commission (First Amendment) Ordinance, the Social Welfare (First Amendment) Ordinance, and the Public Service (Second Amendment) Ordinance.

The ICJ appealed to the Maoists to take this opportunity to resolve the conflict through peaceful means and urged the Maoists to refrain from imposing any kind of bandas, strike or other actions that would cause further deterioration to the precarious humanitarian situation in Nepal.

The ICJ also urged the international community to continue to support the democratic process in Nepal.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democracy Nepal (LDN), a forum based at Nepal Study Center at University of New Mexico consisting of scholars, professionals and policy practitioners with a mission to promote liberal democracy in Nepal, welcomed the announcement by King Gyanendra on April 24, of the restoration of parliament and resumption of democratic polity.

A press statement issued by LDN said, “LDN believes that it is an appropriate and significant step to herald the restoration of full democracy and peace in the country,” adding. “LDN further believes that a Constituent Assembly (CA) process organized by the newly established democratic government and parliament will provide the necessary direction to a full-fledged liberal democracy in Nepal that will reflect people’s wishes.”

The LDN urged the political parties to start negotiations with the Maoists asking them to join the mainstream democratic political process and also urged the Maoists to completely renounce violence and demonstrate their commitment to a pluralistic democracy.

“The king should note that the Nepali people have completely rejected an active role for the king, “The Constituent Assembly will determine the relevance and status of the monarchy in Nepal,” the statement added. nepalnews.com pb Apr 27 06

An Italian national Antonio Peretti, has brought the Olympic torch from Italy to Makalu base camp wishing for the peace and prosperity in Nepal.

He traveled from Tumlingtar to the base camp (5600 meters high), a distance of approximately 130 kilometers, with bare feet.

According to tourism entrepreneurs, he set a new record by walking without shoes upto 5600 meters which will help for the publicity of Nepal internationally.

Peretti has trekked in many countries including Brazil, Bolivia, and South Africa among others.

Before visiting Nepal, he had visited Pope Benedict of Vatican city of Rome and Dalai Lama in Dharamshala to take blessing from them for peace in the country.

He arrived here with the Italian Makalu expedition, lead by Mario Vielmo.

He handed over the Olympic torch to Mario Vielmo at Makalu base camp. nepalnews.com pb Apr 27 0

The meeting of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party (NCPP) has elected party president, Girija Prasad Koirala, as its new leader.

The meeting of the NCPP held at the parliamentary party office at Singha Durbar on Thursday elected Koirala unanimously for the post.

Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is currently president of the NC (Democratic), was the leader of the NCPP when the House of Representatives was dissolved on May 22, 2002.

Ramchandra Tiwari, member of the reinstated HoR, told Nepalnews that the meeting discussed about the agenda to be presented in the parliament session.

The meeting decided to move ahead with the consensus among the seven political parties, he added.

The seven party alliance (SPA) had earlier nominated 85-year-old Koirala to head the new government.

In its meeting, the NCPP decided on two main agendas; holding elections to the constituent assembly and formation an all-party commission to identify the victims of people’s movement 2006.

The meeting also decided to table a proposal in the parliament to honour and provide appropriate compensation to the people injured during the pro-democracy movement and family members of the people who were killed during the movement.

This was the first meeting of the NCPP after a gap of four years. The meeting also welcomed the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Maoists and concluded that the new government should reciprocate it.

The Maoists had announced a similar truce in September last year and later extended it by a month, but withdrew it early this year saying that the government did not reciprocate it.

Members of the NC (D) did not take part in the NCPP meeting.

The NC (D), a breakaway faction of the Nepali Congress, is not registered at the HoR as a separate party and has 40 parliamentarians in its fold.

As per the Parliament Act, to be registered as a separate party in the parliament, any breakaway faction needs at least 40 percent of the total MPs of the parent party. The NC had 113 seats in the erstwhile parliament.

Though the NC (D) is yet to be registered as a separate party in the parliament, it said it will present itself as a separate party as per consensus reached in the meeting of the SPA. nepalnews.com pb Apr 27 06

The US ambassador to Nepal, James F. Moriarty, has said Nepal was very close to bloodbath as the people’s movement headed towards climax last week.

Talking to a select group of journalists at the US embassy in Kathmandu Thursday morning, the US envoy said the Maoists’ initial reaction (to the reinstatement of the House of Representatives) aimed at sabotaging the deal. But when they saw that majority of the Nepalis were happy with the new deal, they were compelled to adjust to the new situation, he added.

When asked about his reaction to the three-month-long unilateral ceasefire announced by the Maoists around mid-night on Wednesday, Moriarty said “The biggest question right now is the Maoist intention. The (new government) should try and hold the Maoists to ceasefire,” he said. “They (the Maoists) should not be included in the interim government unless they lay down their weapons.”

The US envoy said the Maoists had suffered a great setback in the recent peaceful movement across the country. “The biggest losers are the Maoists. On Saturday (Apr. 22), they were close to reaching success. They were close to getting rid of the monarchy entirely by a violent revolution. May be you would have a lot of blood flowing in the streets,” said Moriarty, referring to the popular anger a day after the first royal proclamation in which King Gyanendra asked SPA to recommend its candidate for the post of prime minister.

In a written statement issued Thursday, the US government said it looked forward to working with a new government of Nepal. “We will strive to support Nepal as it launches a functioning and effective multiparty democracy,” the statement added.

“The people of Nepal demonstrated their widespread support for democracy in recent weeks. We salute their determination and success in creating the conditions leading to the reinstatement of Parliament,” the US embassy said in the statement.

“The Parliament faces numerous challenges in coming weeks and months. Among other options, it may initiate a Constituent Assembly. This could prove an excellent avenue for the Maoists to join the political mainstream and peacefully help address Nepal’s problems,” said the statement adding, “But to participate in any elections, the insurgents first must lay down their arms and renounce violence. The people of Nepal deserve nothing less.”

Responding to a query, US ambassador Moriarty said the reinstatement of the dissolved parliament by the king met his definition of reconciliation which has democratic forces in charge. “That’s a great outcome,” he said.

When asked about the fate of monarchy, Moriarty said it was for the people of Nepal to decide. “We see that there is potentially a useful role for the institution of monarchy as a unifying factor,” he added.

When asked what may have led King Gyanendra to fulfill the key demands put forward by the Seen Party Alliance (SPA),Moriarty said the king realized that he had two choices: either to capitulate to people’s demand or abdicate. He said his interview with the CNN (in which he pointedly remarked that the king might have to flee if he did not accept popular demands) may have helped things move forward.

Responding to a query on the possibility of resumption of military assistance to Nepal, the US envoy said, “We haven’t had any formal request from the Nepali government as yet.”

Moriarty further said the Bush administration’s policy of promoting democracy worldwide had been brilliantly successful in case of Nepal. “Now, we are much closer to a democratic Nepal,” he added.

When asked why the US and international community promptly welcomed the royal proclamation inviting the Seven Party Alliance to form a new government, Moriarty said on Saturday Nepal was very close to a violent revolution. “That made us very nervous. There had to be conditions for transfer of power. They ended up virtually doing the same thing by the second proclamation,” he added.

Commenting on the 12-point understanding between the SPA and the CPN (Maoist), Moriarty said (that) was a very good outcome. “If they get there, that will be terrific. Maoists will have to be convinced to lay down their weapons.” He, however, said he was not completely convinced towards their movement for peace.

Moriarty said the US government would keep monitoring the situation of Nepal before resuming its consular services. It will take a few more weeks. We will have to see a lot more progress before we are able to resume Peace Corps volunteer service, he added. “We do have special issue that they (the Maoists) have killed (Nepali employees) at the American embassy. They have never addressed that issue,” Moriarty said.

The US envoy said he believed that the Royal Nepalese Army was eager to turn over power to a civilian government. “By this weekend, the army had understood that the monarch was in turmoil and it was time to compromise,” said the American envoy. “The king’s role as the supreme commander-in-chief of the RNA has to be clarified too There will have to be clear cut limitations,” he added.

“People of Nepal have voted for peace and democracy. I hope, may be they (the Maoists) listen to the voices of the people,” he added.

The US ambassador said US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, will be arriving Kathmandu on May 2. “He will be here to look at the new government, analyse the situation and make recommendations back to the Washington,” he added.

Moriarty said Boucher would seek to call upon His Majesty the King. “He wants to see the king to encourage him to accept his ceremonial role,” he added.

Responding to a query by Nepalnews if the US and international community would come forward with additional assistance to Nepal as reportedly being done by India, the US envoy said, “We are looking in the same direction. Despite being a democracy, India has been a lot quicker. We are pushing Washington to get money flow as quickly as possible. I do hope that we are able to announce additional assistance,” he added.

“This is a huge first step that Nepal has taken. There are many more difficult steps to take,” he added. nepalnews.com by Apr 27 06

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has facilitated the release and safe return of 2 policemen, 1 member of the community service and 1 civilian abducted by the CPN (Maoist).

A press statement issued by the ICRC informed that the 4 men, 3 from Makwanpur and 1 from Sindhuli district, had been captured in Biruwakuti, Parsa district, on 29 March 2006.

The press statement further said the release operation took place in Kalbi, Bara district.

“In the past, the ICRC was instrumental in the release of 205 members of the security forces and the civil service. The last release operation took place in February 2006 when 9 civilians were handed over to the Chief Justice of Dhankuta,” the statement added.

The ICRC has been working with the parties to the conflict in Nepal since 1998 as an impartial, neutral and independent humanitarian organization, whose purpose is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence, the statement further said. nepalnews.com pb Apr 27 06

Three days after the reinstatement of the dissolved House of Representatives as demanded by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA), tens of thousands of people took part in a “victory rally” organized by the alliance in the capital on Thursday.

“This is people’s victory,” “Leaders, beware! Elections must be held for the constituent assembly,” chanted enthusiastic supporters of the opposition parties. They were carrying four-start flag of Nepali Congress and hammer-and-sickle flag of various left parties.

Youths, women, professionals, government employees and even people who were injured during pro-democracy movement took part in the rally chanting pro-democracy slogans.

Senior leaders of the SPA are addressing the mass meeting at the Open Air Theatre of Tundikhel (also known as Shahid Manch). They are expected to outline the SPA programme to be discussed and endorsed by the reinstated House that is to meet on Friday.

The local administration withdrew its order declaring Tundikhel and surrounding areas as ‘prohibited zone’ on Tuesday allowing people to assemble at the city center for the first time in the last 15 months.

Details to follow.

nepalnews.com by Apr 27 06

The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) has started inquiry into the killing of six local residents of Belbari, Morang district, by the army men on Wednesday as well as the killing and alleged rape of a local woman.

The Eastern Divisional Headquarters of the RNA in Itahari today informed that an inquiry board has been set up under Brigadier General Pawan Pandey to investigate the killing of six people who were protesting in front of the security base camp at Belbari Wednesday afternoon against the killing of Sapana Gurung, 22, “after gang-rape”, reports said.

Officials at the Divisional Headquarters said the commander of the security base camp, Captain Prahlad Magar, has been suspended from his post and that Pandey’s team has started inquiry into the incident.

Reports said Magar gave orders to the soldiers to open fire on the crowd of hundreds of people, killing six persons on the spot and injuring over five dozen others.

The inured persons have been undergoing treatment at the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan. Of the six victims, only two persons – Tekendra Choudhary and Sunita Rishidev – have been identified so far, reports added.

Officials also conceded that Gurung, who was killed by army men on Tuesday night, was innocent and that investigation was underway over the alleged rape.

Meanwhile, the RNA’s inquiry team inspected the incident site and gathered information from eyewitnesses. According to reports, the locals said the army opened fire without provocation from the protesting locals.

The probe team is set to submit its finding on Friday.

The Ministry of Defence in a statement yesterday said the army men opened fire in self-defence after the crowd turned violent. nepalnews.com mk Apr 27 06