Leaders of four opposition parties fighting against what they call ‘regression’ have said the government’s response to Maoist demands made public on Thursday is a mere formality.
“The government failed to come up with a concrete political outlook,” said Nepali Congress central member, Narahari Acharya. He said the government had effectively ruled out the involvement of the United Nations or a credible international human rights organization in the proposed peace negotiations.
Vice chairman of Jana Morcha Nepal, Lilamani Pokhrel, said by ignoring Maoist concerns that whether the government could maintain status quo ante as of October 4, 2002, the government has shown that it is accountable to none other than the King.
One of the facilitators in the previous failed peace talks, Daman Nath Dhungana, however, said environment for peace talks could be created after the government’s response. “The government’s response seems to facilitate resumption of talks that were stalled last year,” he added.
The government and rebels sat for peace negotiations in 2001 and 2003 but the talks broke off after the rebels pulled out of negotiations unilaterally both times.