Maoists lay down conditions for peace talks: Report

May 1, 2006
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Unconditional elections and the release of all political prisoners are among the terms that the Maoists have set as a precondition for dialogue with the new government headed by Girija Prasad Koirala, a leading Indian newspaper reported.

Immediately after his formal appointment as Nepal’s new Prime Minister, Koirala appealed to the Maoist rebels to begin talks and the militants responded by laying down their terms.

Times of India quoted Dr Baburam Bhattarai, one of the top leaders of the underground rebels, as saying that his party would be ready to begin dialogue with the new government if it met key conditions.

Speaking from an undisclosed location, Bhattarai said the new government would have to commit to holding unconditional elections to choose a constituent assembly that would write a new constitution for Nepal and eventually decide if the Himalayan kingdom would retain monarchy or become a republic.

The government would also have to release all political detainees, including Maoist leaders and cadres, and remove the terrorist tag on his party, Bhattarai said.

The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist and its sister organisations were declared terrorists in 2003 by the government of then Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa after peace talks between the rebels and the government broke down.

Since then, there has been a red corner notice – a high international alert – for the arrest of its top leaders, some of whom even have a reward offered for their capture.

Though the war between the Maoists and the government turned bitter in early 2000 when Koirala was Prime Minister, Koirala’s Nepali Congress and six other opposition parties last year reached an understanding with the guerrillas.

Immediately after his official appointment on Thursday, Koirala issued a statement, telling the rebels the new government would honour the pact with them and hold constituent assembly elections.

The Maoists have called a three-month ceasefire from Wednesday midnight to show their eagerness for peace and returning to mainstream politics. However, they have warned they would enforce a blockade of Kathmandu and key cities if the new government wavered on its commitment, the news report said on Friday.