HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Announce ceasefire, hold talks, UML tells Maoists

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept. 14: The CPN-UML today called the Maoists and the government to start negotiation to clear up the hurdles for the November polls.

"The election and the talks should go side by side. For this, the Maoists should first announce a cease-fire and the government should reciprocate it," the UML Standing Committee member Bharat Mohan Adhikari told The Rising Nepal after the party's Standing Committee meeting here today.
"Talks should be given continuity until the elected government resolves the problem."

In today's meeting, the UML discussed on the current impasse on resolving the Maoist issue, and urged both the government and the Maoists to act to protect the achievements of the Popular Movement. The meeting lashed at the Maoists for continuing their bloody campaign.

The government needs to prove with deeds that it is committed to hold the general elections in the stipulated time, the UML stalwart said.

He demanded that the government immediately call an all-party meeting and brief its problems if it has any regarding the holding of the elections.

"If the government is facing obstacles for holding the polls, we are ready to extend cooperation. This is a time to be cooperative because if the elections are not held in the given timeframe, the country will fall in a constitutional crisis and the multi-party system will come under threat, Adhikari said. All the political parties must immediately arrive at a collective conclusion through an all-party meet to safeguard democracy, the party's statement said.

But Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has not consulted with other political parties in this regard, complained Adhikari.

Adhikari blamed the government for not presenting itself in a responsible manner for the polls slated for November 13.

"It is only about 10 days to jump-start the election process but the government and the Election Commission (EC) are not moving efficiently in the direction of holding the elections on the fixed date," he said. The activities of the government and the EC have rather complicated the situation, he said.
"Although the Maoist leader Prachand, in a statement, declared that they were ready for a peaceful outlet to the imbroglio, they have been mercilessly killing and kidnapping the political workers, including the UML cadres," it stated.

The Maoists have been committing heinous crimes such as looting, threatening, setting fire and destroying public property and the development infrastructure, it said.

The UML said that a group of terrorists had cruelly murdered Tul Bahadur Purga, ex-VDC chairman and UML worker from Dowa VDC of Khotang on Thursday.

"If the Maoists continue these condemnable acts, there could not be a political outlet to the problem," it said.

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