Nepal yet to reciprocate Maoist truce offer

16-October-2004


World News, Kathmandu, The Nepalese government remained silent on a truce offer made by the Maoist insurgents, waiting for a cabinet meeting to formulate the official reaction.

The Maoists, who had broken off peace talks and resumed violence in August last year, issued a statement Friday saying they would suspend all "military operations" for nine days.

The statement, issued in the name of their supreme commander Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known Prachanda, said the party had decided to observe a unilateral ceasefire from Oct 20 to 28, when Nepal will celebrate its biggest festival Dashain, out of deference to public sentiment.

The statement took the wind out of the sails of the Sher Bahadur Deuba government that was being pressured by one of its own coalition partners, the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist, to declare a unilateral ceasefire to show that it was serious about resuming peace parleys.


Though Prime Minister Deuba himself had categorically ruled out the government calling a one-sided truce and insisted he would proceed with arrangements to hold elections if the Maoists did not come to the talks table, a high-level peace committee set up to start peace negotiations under the prime minister himself had been holding a series of meetings last week among its members.

The state-run Rising Nepal daily Saturday said the government would make an official reaction only after the authenticity of the statement was verified.

It quoted the Information and Communications Minister Mohammad Mohsin, who is also the government spokesman, as saying after verifying the announcement, the cabinet would meet to decide how to "reciprocate".

The government's caution stems from the fact that it was earlier misled by a fake statement.

The Deuba government has made two formal proposals to the Maoists to resume peace talks. Sphere: Related Content