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Kathmandu Sunday November 11, 2001 Kartik 26, 2058.
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Interim government a precondition for Round
Three, says Prachanda
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Nov 10 - Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal
(Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal a.k.a. Prachanda today said that formation of an interim
government is the only pre-condition to the upcoming third round of peace talks with the
government.
In a press statement issued here today, Prachanda has also
formally announced that the Maoist Party has withdrawn the demand of institutional
development of a republican state in the forthcoming talks. The Maoists withdrew the
demand of a republican state for "legitimate and democratic" exercise, the
statement says.
The Maoist supremo has also urged all the people to be
prepared for the constituent assembly elections. "We want to form an interim
government thereby conducting elections for the constituent assembly," the statement
says.
Prachanda has said in the statement that his party wants to
put a halt to every violence and counter-violence. "Though the Maoist Party has no
policy of attacking anyone, they were forced to resort to defensive actions against those
murdering the people and the revolutionaries," the statement says.
But, the chief government negotiator of the peace talks and
Minister for Physical Planning and Works Chirinjivi Wagle, talking to The Kathmandu Post
said the Maoist statement was "incomplete". "Since the statement has not
directed its workers to stop all kinds of violent acts as demanded by the government, it
is incomplete and is far short of the government demands."
Prachanda has also warned not to perceive their flexibility
for the talks as the Maoists’ weakness. "We want the people to make the final
decision about the republican state through constituent assembly," his statement
adds.
Remarking on the government’s move of scrapping the
Public Security Regulations as a positive step towards the talks, Prachanda has reiterated
the demand of making public the whereabouts of the Maoists including one of its leaders
Dandapani Neupane.
But Minister for Home and Local Development Khum Bahadur
Khadka, in an interview given to Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) and Nepal Television, has
said that there is no Maoist left in the police custody nor anybody disappeared by the
government.
"Based on its record, the government has already made
public the whereabouts of all Maoist leaders and workers under police custody,"
Minister Khadka said in the interview, adding, "Now the government has no record of
any more Maoist workers."
In the interview, Minister Khadka also urged the Maoist
leader Prachanda to give directives urging all their cadres to halt violent activities and
stop using any kind of force.
"It is the turn of Maoist leader Prachanda to issue a
statement ordering his cadres to immediately stop all kinds of violent activities. If such
a statement is made by the Maoists’ side publicly, the confusion will be over and it
would be easier for the government to take action against those perpetrating violence in
the name of the Maoists," RSS quoted Minister Khadka as saying.
Minister Khadka also said the third round of talks will
possibly take place before the Tihar festival. But, Minister Wagle said it was still
"not sure" about the date and the venue of the dialogue.
Prachanda’s statement has also accused the main
opposition CPN-UML of kow-towing to "fascist Girija" and the Palace. He also
said the Deuba government was being dictated by conspirators.
Meanwhile, our Baglung-based correspondent reports: Minister
of State for Home and Local Development Devendra Raj Kandel today said the government will
be forced to opt for "strong measures" if the government-Maoist talks fail.
Speaking at a function organised to mark the first death
anniversary of Tul Prasad Sherchan, NC worker and joint secretary of the Maoist
Sufferers’ Association, State Minister Kandel said, "If the Maoists go against
the dialogue dragging it to a failure, the situation will not be in their favour. Even the
Armed Police Force is now strong enough to counter the Maoists."
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