NEPAL: Nepal dares to think of peace as rebel deal struck

A midnight deal between Nepal's multi-party government and Maoist rebels to put guerrilla arms under U.N. supervision has raised hopes for lasting peace in a nation ravaged by years of conflict. The agreement put a smile on the face of many ordinary Nepalis, who have been forced to live with killings, abductions, fear and shortages as the decade-old war against the monarchy brutalised the poor Himalayan nation and wrecked its economy. But Maoist chief Prachanda and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala warned there was more work to be done and appealed for unity among the country's fractious political parties. The bespectacled rebel chief said the Maoists were proud that 10 years of fighting, in which 13,000 people died, had delivered "historic change". Koirala said the peace was a "victory" for all Nepalis. In May, the rebels and the government began peace talks after resuming a truce that collapsed in 2001 and then in 2003. But a dispute over disarming the rebel army had dogged progress. Tuesday's (November 7) late night pact has now cleared a key hurdle for the guerrillas to join an interim government. An interim administration with the rebels will be set up before December 1. The rebels will be restricted to 28 camps where cameras will be used to monitor arms. The king -- whose right to rule the impoverished kingdom was at the heart of the Maoist fight -- will remain as an almost powerless figurehead until the fate of the monarchy is decided next year. Diplomats and human rights groups have criticised the rebels for continuing extortions, intimidation and kidnappings despite a truce, and the Annapurna Post asked them to change their ways. "It is time for the Maoists to show more responsibility and accountability to implement the accord in letter and spirit," it said in an editorial. The United States echoed those words. "The agreement must diminish the fear of violence, intimidation, and extortion that the people of Nepal have endured over the past 11 years," its embassy said in a statement. "Effective monitoring that includes penalties for violators will prove essential." The conflict, which began in 1996, has hit tourism in Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest, and the birthplace of Lord Buddha, and badly damaged an already weak economy. But no tourist has been killed.

ITN Source | November 9, 2006

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