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Kathmandu Sunday October 15, 2000 Aswin 29, 2057.
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UML initiates to resolve Maoist problem
By Sanjeev Ghimire
KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - As proposed by all opposition parties,
CPN-UML shall now take the initiative for the peaceful resolution of the Maoist problem as
the ruling Nepali Congress has failed to do so, the main opposition leader Madhav Kumar
Nepal said Saturday.
"All the political parties (excluding NC) are now urging
us to take initiatives to find a peaceful resolution to the Maoist problem as the
government has failed," said Nepal talking to the reporters at a tea-party organised
by his party today. "UML is not waiting any longer for the government to settle the
problem."
Nepal added that his party was holding informal talks with
major opposition parties like RPP and Nepal Sadbhawana Party to create a conducive
environment to hold the talks with the Maoist rebels. "They wanted us to take the
initiative," he said.
"We on Oct 10 held some four hour long informal
discussion with all the leftist parties to find a way out of the problem and they also
urged us to take the initiative..," he said.
Lambasting government’s motive of suppressing the
insurgency through the army mobilization, Nepal said: "If the government makes
foolish decision of the army mobilization, it would be unfortunate for the country, the
government and democracy. This would lead the nation to the brink of a civil war. Being a
political problem it must be resolved at the political level."
In the aftermath of Maoist raids in Dopla and Lamjung last
month which killed 22 policemen, government is trying to build national consensus for the
mobilization of Royal Nepal Army to crush the four and half year old insurgency. The
insurgency has claimed more than 1400 lives altogether.
When asked to comment on the government’s intention to
form an armed police force to quell the insurgency, he said: "There are some 44,000
armymen and 52,000 policemen...still the government want to create armed police force to
quell the Maoists. Moreover, will the armed police dissolved if they accomplish their
goal? No. It would be foolish to invest on this unproductive force with the tax
payer’s money."
He said it was equally unfortunate that the government
despite repeated request by the rebels for talks "couldn’t be flexible enough to
accept some of their trivial demands" which could have paved way out of the problem.
"On top of that the government seems to have disabled Deuba..."
Former Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba heads a high level
committee to hold dialogue with the insurgents to resolve the problem. Deuba maintains
that the government is not co-operating with the committee.
Asked whether the insurgent also urged his party to take
initiative for the talks, the main opposition leader said "they too intend UML’s
initiative". He also said that his party might mediate government-insurgent talks if
the both side wish.
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