Government and rebels start peace talks

Nepal’s new government and Maoist insurgents, who have been waging a 10-year war against the state, are set to begin much anticipated peace talks on Friday afternoon in the capital, Kathmandu, according to senior government officials. Held at the country’s prominent Gokarna Forest Resort and Spa, the first round of talks is expected to focus on preliminary discussions in preparation for the main dialogue scheduled for Sunday. The new government - which was formed in April by democratic parties after the Nepalese monarch King Gyanendra gave up his direct rule following mass protests - has agreed to most of the Maoists demands and conditions before sitting for peace talks. Maoists demands include removing the terrorist tag from them, release of all their cadres from prisons and investigation into the whereabouts of thousands of disappeared people, who had been arrested or detained by the security forces. On Wednesday, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who will be heading the government’s three-member talk committee, announced that all Maoist workers would be released from prisons and detention and that the government would start investigations into cases of disappearances. Two of the government members joining Sitaula include ministers Pradeep Gyawali and Ramesh Lekhak. From the Maoist side, the Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara will be heading the rebels during the talks and will be joined by senior rebel leaders Dev Gurung and Dinanath Sharma who expressed their positive attitude towards the government for taking the initiative in creating a healthy environment for serious talks. “This time both the government and the Maoists had both did a lot of homework and have prepared a lot, as well as had a series of informal talks to remove any obstacle at all to the peace talks,” said rights activist Kundan Aryal. Political analysts do not expect the talks to fail like the previous ones in 2001 and 2003 when the Maoist negotiators walked out of negotiations and resumed their ‘People’s War’ following the government’s rejection of their main demands, including forming an interim government and constituent assembly. Both of these demands have already been accepted by the new government.