NATIONAL 4 - (Spotlight Weekly)

A Dramatic Turn

Despite the bitter controversy triggered by the release of two Maoist leaders from police custody, the government and the rebels see the possibility of resuming peace talks

By A CORRESPONDENT

Six days after the government freed two senior Maoist leaders in circumstances that gave a dramatic twist to the crisis, the fate of recently begun peace efforts hangs in the balance. As the government and the rebels trade charges of bad faith, however, neither side is prepared to abandon the peace process.

"There is always a lull before the storm," said a Congress insider. "We are expecting a positive response from the Maoist side." Meanwhile, a high-level committee headed by former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba handed over its recommendations on resolving the problem to the government on Tuesday.

The Deuba panel report is understood to have urged the government to start negotiations with the Maoists to end the six-year insurgency that has claimed more than 1,500 lives.

Some analysts believe there are elements within the government who do not want to see a peaceful settlement of the problem. They say the release of Maoist leader Dinesh Sharma and his colleague, Dinanath Gautam -- reportedly masterminded by Minister of Information and Communication Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta -- was aimed at sabotaging the peace process begun by unofficial contacts between the government and the rebels.

Although both sides have emphasized the need to continue the talks, neither has taken the initiative. Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, who held unofficial talks with senior Maoist representative Rabindra Shrestha last month, is said to be trying to woo back the rebels to the negotiating table.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, facing a strong rebellion in the party ahead of the Congress convention, is said to be backing Poudel. A day after the release of Sharma and Gautam, Koirala expressed hope that the Maoist problem would be resolved peacefully.

The Maoist leadership was infuriated by the manner in which the government released the two rebels -- both announced at the press conference that they had severed ties with the Maoists but Sharma issued a flat denial three hours later. But the party did not close the door on the peace talks.

In a statement on Friday, Pushpa Kamal Dahal a.k.a Comrade Prachanda, general secretary of the CPN-Maoist said: "The possibility of our party talking with the government and our faith in the process is nearly over."

Even Padma Ratna Tuladhar, who decided to end his mediation of the unofficial talks in protest against the manner in which the two Maoist leaders were released, later expressed his commitment to the peace process.

"The national and international environment is pushing both forces to the negotiating table," the independent leftist leader said. "If the government had handed over Dinesh Sharma to human rights activists, we would have had a solid case to compel the Maoists to continue the talks. Instead, the government complicated the situation by asking the two leaders to denounce the insurgency."

After the release of Sharma, Deputy Prime Minister Poudel began sounding a harsher note against the rebels. "If the Maoists do not agree to a peaceful settlement, we would be compelled to use the full force of our security apparatus [against the insurgency]," he said.

Analysts believe the government's decision to deploy the army in several insurgency-hit districts would make it harder for the Maoists to abandon the peace process. The rebels will come under increased pressure to match the sophisticated weapons and training of the Royal Nepalese Army.

Sharma, who is regarded as a very influential Maoist leader, is the brother-in-law of Yam Prasad Gautam, another Maoist leader who is currently in a rebel labour camp for having violated party discipline. The Maoist leadership had repeatedly sought information on the whereabouts of Sharma, who has lost four close relatives during the insurgency, and other detainees as a precondition for peace talks.