Differences cause signing of government-Maoist accord to be put off

Nov 16, 2006, 17:53 GMT

Kathmandu - The signing of a comprehensive peace accord between the government and Maoist rebels set for Thursday was postponed 'because some differences still remained between the two sides,' a senior political leader said.

Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula said work to forge an understanding with the Maoists was continuing.

The peace pact would now be signed next week, probably being settled along with an interim constitution, government sources said.

The peace pact that would officially end the 11-year Maoist insurgency that has cost the Himalayan nation more than 13,500 lives has a particular emphasis on human rights.

Maoist talks team member Dev Gurung said that new date for the signing of the pact would be announced after consultations between Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the Maoists' top leader, who is known as Prachanda but whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Gurung said there were 'some controversial issues in the draft of the peace pact and they needed to be sorted out.'

The peace pact was prepared by a panel headed by Nepali Congress General Secretary Ram Chandra Poudel and made up of representatives of all political parties represented in parliament.

It was to be signed after Nepal's ruling Seven-Party Alliance (SPA) and the Maoists signed an agreement last week under which the Maoists would join an interim government by the beginning of next month after they put aside their arms.

The second-in-command in the Maoist hierarchy, Babu Ram Bhattarai, on Saturday publicly criticized the panel for preparing and publicizing the peace pact without consulting the Maoists.

The government and Maoists teams Wednesday sat for more than eight hours to finalize the pact and sources, said there were only a 'few minor points' that needed to be agreed upon.

The talks team began their discussions Thursday morning to finalize the pact and, until midday, the government side was confident that the pact would be signed later Thursday.

The signing of the pact would not only mean an official end to the Maoist insurgency but also that the Maoists, who control most of Nepal's rural areas, would have to dissolve their parallel government and stop enforcing their brand of law.

The postponement of the signing of the comprehensive peace pact was being taken as a setback by political analysts who said it could delay the whole timetable worked out under last week's agreement.

Under the agreement, the peace pact was to be signed Thursday, the Maoist People's Liberation Army to be confined to camps by Tuesday, an interim constitution promulgated by the same day, an interim national assembly formed by November 26 and an interim government formed by December 1.