NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Only A Rhetoric?

From main opposition to the Deuba committee, all clamor for talks. But will they actually be held?

By BHAGIRATH YOGI

It looks so near but it still may be miles away. As soon as the Convenor of the high-level committee formed to recommend ways to resolve the Maoist problem, Sher Bahadur Deuba, said the Maoist leadership is ready to hold talks people had hopes soaring high. A day before the tenure of his committee expire, Deuba claimed on Sunday that the rebels were ready to stop all their 'activities' provided the government makes public whereabouts of its leaders and activists, including Dinesh Sharma. He said he had recently met a top leader of the underground party. He, however, did not give the details.

General secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Comrade Prachanda, confirmed that his representatives had met Deuba. In a statement issued on Monday, he said his party stands by its proposal for 'minimum environment' before sitting for talks with the government. The minimum requirements put forward by the Maoists include making public the whereabouts of its members and leaders including Dinesh Sharma, release them from detention and stop alleged "state terrorism" immediately.

Sometime back, the rebels had asked the government to create a 'minimum environment' for dialogue but had later withdrew their proposal saying that they will not hold dialogue with the 'repressive' Koirala government. "As the Koirala government has failed to create an atmosphere for talks, we would only talk with the forces that were involved in designing the present constitution."

This means that the King, will also have to be brought in in such a dialogue. This will be tantamount to dragging the constitutional monarch into dirty and complex politics of the day. "This will not help the monarchy nor the system," said an analyst. "The proposal indicates toward their sinister design to prove that democracy has failed in the country."

Ruling Nepali Congress, in its first ever assessment of the more than four-year-old rebellion alleged that the Maoist movement is being used by ultra-leftist and ultra-rightist forces. "The basic character and functioning of CPN (Maoist) is different from other communist parties in the country. They are a terrorist organization-- that are killing individuals and attacking police posts-- hiding behind a veil of politics," said Narahari Acharya, spokesman of Nepali Congress, at an all-party meeting, on Monday.

The NC's tough posture has come at a time when Prime Minister G. P. Koirala has hinted toward mobilization of army as a back up force in the move to contain Maoist rebellion. "The army will not be targeted against particular group or individuals. But it will remain silent when people's lives and public properties are being targeted," said Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya, who also hold the Defense portfolio.

Acharya is believed to be referring to the attacks by Maoist rebels on the headquarters of remote northern district of Dolpa last month. At least 14 policemen were killed and more than two dozen injured seriously during the devastating attacks by the rebels on September 25. The rebels also looted nearly Rs 60 million in kind and cash from the local sub-branch of Nepal Bank Limited. A day later they killed eight policemen by attacking Bhorletar police post in western district of Lamjung.

The Maoist attacks exposed deep mistrust and lack of coordination among security agencies in the country. Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi, while resigning from his post, alleged the Royal Nepal Army of non-cooperation. (See: Cover Story).

After initial confusion, as the government started deploying army in the Maoist-affected areas, rebels seem to be feeling the heat. While some stray incidents are taking place on part of the rebels, they haven't mounted major attacks since Bhorletar incident.

Though the government is taking a tough posture, opposition parties and human rights groups are asking both the government and rebels to start peace initiative. The main opposition, UML, said early this week that it was ready to broker a peace deal if the need be. UML general secretary Madhav K. Nepal appealed to the ruling Nepali Congress to adopt a political approach, not administrative and military one, to the problem and build a congenial environment for resolving the problem through dialogue. He also appealed to the Maoists to prepare themselves for peace talks and put their practical demands on the negotiating table..

Opposition parties, in their meeting on Monday, also emphasized on the need of talks between the government and rebels to find a peaceful solution to the on-going violence. But it is still too early to predict any positive outcome given crisis of confidence between the Deuba committee and the government, and deep hatred toward the Prime Minister among the rebels. As the fate of the proposed talks hangs in balance, nearly 1500 people have already lost their lives since the underground party launched its violent 'people's war' in February 1996.