King, politicians and rebels no nearer to talks

When Nepal's King Gyanendra recently paid his first visit to east and west Nepal since assuming direct rule of the nation on 1 February this year, peace was the only thing that most people wanted to talk to him about. This week after his return to the capital, the king announced through state media that he was ready for dialogue with the nation’s political parties. “I too am accountable to the people. If they [the parties] go to the people and speak clearly, then there is room for talks,” said the king. He sacked the former government because he said it had failed to tackle the Maoist uprising. The rebels have been waging a nine year guerilla war against the state. The seven political parties responded to the suggestion from the king by rejecting any possibility that they might participate in any discussions. Their response was no surprise given that in recent months the politicians have been busy organising a series of protests against direct rule by the monarch. “We have already had several talks with the king in the past but none of them had any positive results,” said Amik Sherchan, president of People’s Front of Nepal (PFN), one of the leading political groupings in the Himalayan kingdom. “There is no meaning to his offer until he gives up his power and hands over the government to the people’s representatives,” added Sherchan. The seven parties said that they are not even willing to consider the royal restoration of parliament, if such an offer is made by the king. “We don’t want it to be restored by the king. Such a move can only be made constitutionally and that would be through the Supreme Court,” explained Sherchan. The Supreme Court has already begun a hearing on a petition to reinstate the country’s parliament which was dissolved three years ago. No national elections have been held in Nepal since 2002, when the king assumed executive powers. The political groups say they want an all-party interim government which would then negotiate with Maoists rebels. But some political leaders disagree saying that the turning down of the king’s offer of talks is a counterproductive act. “The crisis has been worsened by the political parties’ growing animosity to the king. Dialogue with the king is one way forward,” explained Padma Sunder Lawoti, leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party. While the king and the politicians look no nearer to dialogue, human rights organisations are calling on the king to prevent the humanitarian situation in the country deteriorating still further. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal, on 19 August released two reports compiled after investigating possible violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Both condemned the violence that had prompted the investigations. Praveen Randhawa of OHCHR told a press conference in Kathmandu, that the investigations had found the Maoist insurgents to be responsible for the killing of civilians and that they had violated international obligations under humanitarian law. The investigation also found that the state authorities were in breach of their own responsibilities under international humanitarian law through their failure to take precautions to protect the civilian population. News reports currently suggest that Maoist forces have shown no commitment to confidence-building measures by abstaining from launching attacks against politicians, journalists, unarmed government officials or rural NGO staff. As far as other political groups in Nepal are concerned, the ending of such attacks is a prerequisite to any form of dialogue with the rebel movement.