A standoff between the Government and Maoists was broken Sunday with the first goodwill talks between the two sides held at the head office of Karnali Air owned by Col. Pun.
Chief Government negotiator Col. Narayan Singh Pun said he met with the entire five member rebel negotiating team, including Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, while addressing a public meeting at his home district in Myagdhi, Radio Nepal said.
Sunday’s goodwill talks is the fourth major development leading up to the proposed formal peace negotiations to end a seven year insurgency that claimed more than 7,000 lives in seven years.
The talks followed the release earlier Sunday of two Maoist central committee members as a pre-condition for launching the negotiations. The talks will now proceed without or without him in the government negotiating team, Col. Pun reportedly said.
Government and rebels suspended hostilities on January 29 last year to negotiate a peace. The warring sides agreed to a code of conduct on March 13 to guide the peace negotiations.
Then the rebel negotiating team surfaced publicly in Kathmandu for the first time in seven years on March 29. First goodwill talks were held on April 13.
Meanwhile, the Royal Nepal Army Sunday hoped the releases of Khadka and Sharma will have “a positive impact on the peace process”. The Army said this is a statement issued through the Defence Ministry. The couple were held for more than one year in Army custody in Gorkha.
Col. Pun accused unidentified people for stalling the talks. He said Maoists were “positive on the talks”. Both sides had been accusing the other for stalling negotiations. nepalnews.com br April 13