Nepal Maoists announce agenda for next talks round

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Nepal Maoists announce agenda for next talks round

Kathmandu, May 30 (IANS) Maoist guerrillas have announced their agenda for the next round of peace talks with the government, less than a week after negotiations resumed between both sides after nearly three years.

'At the next round of talks, we will discuss the formation of a broad democratic assembly that will replace parliament,' former MP and Maoist spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara told IANS.

The Maoists want the holding of elections that would end the two-century-old monarchy in Nepal.

'The seven parties made a grave error when they agreed to the reinstatement of parliament last month. It was a regressive step taken without consulting our party, which played a key role in forcing King Gyanendra to step down as head of government,' said Mahara.

'The reinstated House of Representatives (the lower house of parliament) perpetuates the old constitution of 1990 that upholds the king's rule as a constitutional monarch. But the powerful people's movement that ended the king's direct rule has a different mandate: it wants a republic.'

The guerrillas want an alternative parliament to be formed with representatives from all the forces that took part in the anti-king protests in April. Besides the seven major political parties, it would also include Maoists and members of professional organisations, civil society and human rights bodies.

After the assembly is formed through a national political convention, the rebels want parliament, reinstated after nearly four years, to be dissolved, followed by the scrapping of the constitution and the current government headed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Instead, there would be an interim constitution and an interim government that would start the procedure to hold the election asking people to choose between the king and a republic.

Mahara said the plan is not as elaborate as it sounds. 'If we can arrive at a quick consensus, the whole thing can be done in six months,' he said.

Last Friday, a three-member Maoist team headed by Mahara began parleys with Koirala's government. The talks were off to a flying start with both sides agreeing to a code of conduct and asking the UN to monitor the truce.

While the government tabled the code in parliament Monday for approval, the rebels held a meeting of their top leaders, including Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda and his deputy, Baburam Bhattarai.

The meeting decided to form a three-member committee to coordinate with the parties and other organisations that took part in the anti-king protests to form the new assembly.

'Our motto is, hand over all power to the greater democratic political assembly,' Bhattarai said in a press statement issued from underground.

The rebel meet also decided to press for the restructuring of the army, communities' right to self-determination, special rights for women and the backward classes and revolutionary land reform programmes.

The second round of talks could be held this week after the government consults parliamentarians on the code of conduct. While hailing the code, the lawmakers however say the rebels are still continuing extortion, attacks and recruitment in violation of the agreement.

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Nepal Maoists announce agenda for next talks round