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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 09 October 2006

NEPAL: Peace talks making positive headway - rebels and government

KATHMANDU, 9 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - High-level peace talks in Nepal, which got under way at the weekend, are making good progress, according to both government and Maoist rebel representatives.

After 10 years of violent conflict that has claimed at least 14,000 lives and a series of unsuccessful peace talks earlier in the year, both sides want to bring the three-day discussions to a positive conclusion as quickly as possible, they said.

“Several issues were discussed in a cordial manner,” read a joint press statement on Sunday from the interim government and the rebels.

The parties that comprise the government added there is optimism about key issues being resolved. These include agreement on a new interim constitution, setting dates for the constituent assembly elections, implementation of past agreements, arms management, providing relief to victims of the conflict and restructuring of the state system.

The second round of the talks is scheduled for Tuesday, when key decisions will hopefully be made, said both government and rebel representatives.

According to independent observers, both sides have shown flexibility on most crucial issues, such as managing Maoist arms and forming an interim legislative body to replace the present Nepalese parliament.

The rebels have been proposing that they would confine their soldiers in several cantonments around the country until the elections are held. Government representatives said they are also positive about setting up a unicameral legislative body with 300 members representing all parties, including the Maoists.

They would also finalise a crucial issue on the future of the Nepalese monarchy. Absolutist monarch King Gyanendra was removed from power in February and discussions are ongoing over whether to remove him from the constitution altogether and render the monarchy purely ceremonial.

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This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2006