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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 30 October 2006

NEPAL: Rebels extend ceasefire

KATHMANDU, 30 Oct 2006 (IRIN) - Nepal’s Maoist rebels have extended their six-month ceasefire, which expired on Sunday, for another three months in an effort to allow the ongoing peace talks to conclude successfully.

“The ceasefire is aimed at creating a conducive environment for bringing the ongoing talks to a positive conclusive and announcing the date for elections to the constituent assembly,” said Maoist leader Prachanda in a press statement on Sunday.

The insurgents have been waging an armed rebellion for the past 10 years, but called a halt to the conflict in April when Nepalese monarch King Gyanendra was ousted from power ending months of direct rule and the nation’s seven main political parties formed a new interim government. The conflict has resulted in the death of an estimated 14,000 Nepalese people.

A series of talks since then have made progress but have floundered on the question of Maoist disarmament, the construction of a new national army and the fate of the constitutional monarchy.

The extension of the ceasefire has been welcomed by the government, which added that the cessation of hostilities had greatly improved security for ordinary Nepalese – often caught in the middle between the security forces and the rebels.

“The government is committed to establishing permanent peace in the country by bringing Maoist rebels into the competitive political process,” said Deputy Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli.

But leaders of the Seven-Party Alliance (SPA) that are negotiating with the rebels are concerned that there is no chance of holding free and fair elections scheduled for June 2007 unless the Maoists disarm first.

“Complete separation of arms from the combatants and the commitment by the rebels not to resort to them under any circumstances during the election and thereafter will be critical for the people,” Oli added.

Despite the impasse, foreign diplomats in Kathmandu are upbeat about the ceasefire extension. “The ceasefire has been saving a lot of Nepalese lives - this shows that the commitment from both sides, government and rebels, has been getting bigger by the day,” said Tore Toreng, Norwegian ambassador to Nepal.

He added that the peace process was encouraging donors to look again at Nepal – a country where international aid has stalled due to the conflict. Toreng explained that the Norwegian government hoped to increase its bilateral funding to the Himalayan kingdom in the future.

“But we have to be very patient about the peace process as a quick solution is bad solution,” cautioned Toreng, who warned that pressure on those conducting peace talks to make speedy decisions could push the parties back to conflict.

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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