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Kathmandu Saturday September 15, 2001 Bhadra 30, 2058.
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Second Govt-Maoists talks inconclusive
By Kamal Panthi and J. Pandey
THAKURDWAR, Bardia, Sept 14 - The second round of peace talks between the
Government and the Maoists ended late Friday without much achievements after the Maoists
formally presented their proposal seeking a republic state, a new constitution and an
interim government.
The government is expected to issue a statement on Saturday and are expected
to announce if and when they would continue the peace talks during a third possible round
again.
Sources said it could be early next week in the capital city. This, however,
could not be independently verified.
The Maoist negotiators were expected to leave the Tiger Tops jungle resort
around midnight or later and supporters had lined the road outside the venue.
The talks concluded after the government side told the Maoist negotiators
that they had no mandate to agree with the proposals by the Maoists. The government side
accused them of being too rigid despite earlier claims that it would be flexible.
The Maoists have maintained that the proposals they have presented are much
flexible but the government side has made it clear that it had no mandate to agree with
proposals such as scrapping of the Constitution, dissolution of the government and the
Parliament and end to the Monarchy.
During the talks, the Maoists have proposed that since the traditional
monarchy has already ended and the process of establishing a republic state had already
begun, it was time to institutionalize the concept.
The government side instead has asked the Maoists to come under mainstream
politics and once they do that most of their demands could be fulfilled.
The Maoists team led by Krishna Bahadur Mahara with Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and
Agni Prasad Sapkota has also demanded that the Armed Police Force (APF), Integrated
Security and Development Programme (ISDP), the Public Security Regulations and the
Regional Administrators should all be dissolved and the whereabouts of all those detained
by the administration be made public.
The government negotiators have assured them that they would make the
whereabouts public and release the remaining Maoists who are still in custody. The Armed
Police Force would not be used against the Maoists and if the situation returns to normal
then the ISDP would automatically turn inactive. Also the government is positive in
scrapping points out of the Public Security Regulations.
To add to that, 23 of the 40 demands presented by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai,
before they took up guerrilla warfare, have also been presented.
The request by the government to call off the conference of the
ANNISU-Revolutionary planned on Sept. 17 and the mass gathering on Sept. 21 was denied by
the Maoist negotiators, who insisted that these meets would be peaceful.
The government fears that since the activities of the Maoist followers in the
days following the first talks on Aug. 30 showed that their leadership does not have full
control, the mass gatherings in the capital city could go out of control despite the
assurance by Maoists leadership.
The government is accusing the Maoists of extorting, physical abuse, forcing
transporters, hotels and even private citizens to room, board and ferry their cadres and
even raping of women and abuse of children.
The government team is led by Minister Chiranjivi Wagle has Ministers Mahesh
Acharya and Bijaya Gachchhedar, Nepali Congress members Narhari Acharya and Chakra Prasad
Bastola as members.
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