Finally, Prachanda, the Maoist supreme leader, is in Kathmandu is holding talks with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala in the latter’s official residence in Baluwataar. A large group of journalists is curiously waiting outisde the residence. Dr Baburam Bhattarai, second to Prachanda in the party hirerarchy, is also present in the meeting. Since both sides (government and the Maoists) have agreed in principle on holding the election of constituent assembly, it is widely believed that they are talking on the process to reach there: formulating an interim constitution and an interim government. This is the first time in the history of a decade long Maoist “peoples’ war” that their supreme leader has come to the talks table. People are extremely hopeful yet a bit skeptic about the success of the ‘Peace Summit’ considering the procedural difference between the two sides.
The Historic Eight-point Agreement
Reached between the ruling Seven Party Alliance and the Maoist party.The Eight-point agreement reached between the seven-party alliance and CPN-Maoist following summit talks between the two sides at the Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar on Friday (June 16, 2006) is as follows (Unofficial Translation)
1. Effectively and honestly implement the 12-point understanding reached between the SPA and Maoists in November last year and the 25-point Ceasefire Code of Conduct signed between the SPA government and CPN-Maoist on May 26 this year
2. Commitment to democratic norms and values including competitive multi-party system, civic liberties, fundamental rights, human rights, press freedom, and the concept of rule of law and Carry out each other’s activities in a peaceful manner
3. Request the United Nations to help in the monitoring and management of the armies and arms of both government and Maoist sides for a free and fair election to the Constituent Assembly
4.Guarantee the democratic rights achieved through the 1990 Popular Movement and the recent historic People’s Movement; draft an interim constitution based on the 12-point understanding and the ceasefire Code of Conduct; form an interim government accordingly; announce the dates for constituent assembly elections; dissolve the House of Representatives through consensus after making alternative arrangement; dissolve the People’s Governments of CPN-Maoist
5. Decide issues of national interests having long-term effects through consensus
6. Guarantee the fundamental right of the Nepali people to participate in the constituent assembly elections without any fear, influence, threat and violence. Invite international observation and monitoring during the elections as per the need
7. Bring about a forward-looking restructuring of the state so as to resolve the class-based, racial, regional and gender-based problems through constituent assembly elections. Transform the ceasefire between the Nepal Government and CPN-Maoist into permanent peace by focusing on democracy, peace, prosperity, forward-looking change and the country’s independence, sovereignty and pride, and express commitment to resolve the problem through talks
8. The government and Maoist talks teams have been directed to accomplish all tasks related to above-mentioned points without any delay
Interim Constitution Drafting Committee
A meeting of the government and the Maoist talks teams held at the PM’s residence at Baluatar after the conclusion of the Summit Talks has decided to form a six-member “Interim Constitution Draft Committee” under the coordination of former Supreme Court justice Laxman Prasad Aryal.
Senior lawyer Harihar Dahal, lawyer and human rights defender Sindhunath Pyakurel, President of Nepal Bar Association Sambhu Thapa, former attorney general Mahadev Yadav and lawyer Khimlal Devkota are the members of the committee. Devkota is the Maoist representative in the committee.
“The interim constitution draft committee has been formed as per the eight-point agreement reached between the SPA and the Maoists,” member of the government talks team and Minister Pradip Gyawali told reporters at the press conference at Baluwatar.
The committee will submit the draft of the interim Constitution to the government and Maoist talks teams within 15 days.
A historic new experiment: Prachanda
Addressing the press conference, Maoist Chairman Prachanda called the ongoing peace process “A historic new experiment of the 21st century.” “If the peace process becomes successful then Nepal could achieve development and prosperity in the next 5 -10 years,” he said.
Saying that the parliament, people’s government of the Maoists and the current SPA government should be dissolved within one month’s time and that an interim constitution and government should be formed, the Maoist chairman said sustainable peace could be achieved through constituent assembly elections.
Prachanda also said that the constituent assembly elections should be held within a year’s time. “The process of dissolution of the parliament, people’s government of the Maoists and the current SPA government will begin once the interim constitution is drafted and the process of formation of interim government begins,” Prachanda further said.
On the issue of ceremonial monarchy, Prachanda asserted that his party was in favour of a democratic republic but other parties were free to go to the Constituent Assembly elections with their own views about the monarchy.
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Comments
121 responses to “Prachanda In Baluwataar, Parleys Peace With Prime Minister”
Santosh,
I said most of it. Except for land reform, the rest of your list is included, and like I said like all past governments it has always been on paper only.
Ideas have been floating aroung ever since I can remember. Give ideas that can be put to practice. If you don’t have a penny in your pocket then don’t bid for the moon.
Aid is back, especially from India but will be frozen again and again and again if the maoists lead the way.
Your criticzm of ADB and WB loans and aid is just another bandwagon behaviour, everyone does it but everyone knows without it also we don’t have a chance.
Now minus the aid, you who ask for ideas give us some, and don’t be hilarious by mentioning the china superhighway again. Or are we going to pay that through tax on yarchagumba – ha ha!
And please don’t talk of China with respect to our pathetic situation. We are not China. It’s like saying, Americans sent people to the moon.
I am proud to say I am a tax payer, but the question I ask you is have you been to your doctor lately to get your head checked? If not do it and ask him not to forget to pay his taxes from your fee. Then maybe your tax can be contributed to make 1/10th of a millimitre of your proposed superhighway to China. Then there is the question of your other superhighway to India as well – go quickly to your doctor buddy.
Yes, grudges are plenty but you are right in saying there are no free lunches but litany of things which you propose does not happen just wishing it upon a star. And I bet, wolves in sheep in would not either nor the devil in disguise.
So lets take one at a time or step by step, shall we? Lets not go for total restructuring just because all is not happening. From what I hear we are adverse to loans, grants, IMF and ADB but third of budget is dependent in external financial assistance so shall we be all Gandhians, I do not think so or should go for extreme measures by adopting Maoist economic policy which I doubt speaks of only internal resources and management by centralized policies- a big no no in this day and age. So hard choices have to be made.
I believe in free entreprise, a sound economic policy and management of resources that benefits the nation in whole. It should not and shall not be a protectionist or isloationist policy but policy of empowerment on competitve advantage of products, services and skills. And not on quota, special privelages on caste or class of people, and on competitive strenght.
I do not see Maoist implemeting these nor the SPA if they are still standing after one month, before the Moaist hold on government is complete.
“The Maoists started with Kurkuries and flintlock rifles back in 1996.”
Livewire: The above is a fact. It is not my opinion. It remains a fact regardless of its convinence for you. I am not implying anything. How you interpret that fact is up to you.
Santosh: if you wish to see what at least part of the Maoist economic plan is you can find it here.
livewire,
you are absolutely right about free entreprise and participation of private firms for an efficient economy. Central planning is dead with the fall of USSR and its a big No No. I was talking about capacity building and strengthening governance and, I think Maoist are right in the sense that they try to look inwards rather than outwards.
concerning aid, i think its a wastage of money of donors and of developing countries. there is no history of developing country making to the list of developed country by aid. end of the line.
if you look for alternative solutions, they are bounty. Just bother to go to OUP outlet in Kathmandu and go thorough Freedom as Development of Amartya Sen.
However, I have been once been behind lobbying of Fortune 500 companies for some specific economic interests. And I can tell you, free trade works, globalization is good but the era of protectionism is not over. All western governments back their specific interests and the Washington Consensus is just a tool for it. Just look at all mining and mineral firms, and you will know how free is free trade. The reason why I am opposing aid is that this has become a disease in Nepal. Nepalese even can’t think before some white chap says whats good for Nepal.
wow,
Go to Dhunche, walk ten kilometers, and once upon Tibetan territory with ROAD ACCESS, you will know how Nepal can be connected to China. May be not via a germanylike autobahn , but may be Switzerland like network of small roads. Once again, I congratulate you for paying the due taxes to the Nepalese state. I know you deserve cogratulation as most of Nepalese pay only token taxes or fraud, and as per your declaration you have done your duty.
Dear Santosh,
It is not donar fault if we cannot manage it propoerly. But your assumption that “Maoist are right in the sense that they try to look inwards rather than outwards” borders on naivete. So are you prepared to be farmer when your profession is a Doctor? Their economy policy is based upon “Reeducation.” The system is not at fault, it is the execution. For me being self reliant means woking way up through competitve and comparative advantage. People need to work and not be reeducated to follow a doctrine that the history has garbaged out as unpracticle. Does nationalization of school industry, banks and commerce mean free enterprise to you? Read their idealogy before you falsely your bet on them.
I accept with Santosh, donation and aid has become disease for Nepal. The country cnnot develop until and unless the root of development is made stronger.
Because of the all-long open border and heavy relying to two nations, we are never got the chance to enjoy competitive and compartitive adavantage. Until and unless illegal trade from these border sides and pressure on our economic development are lifted from our neighbouring countries, talking about competitive and comparititive advantages will be useless.
k garnu yo lyapechhe lagayera chaleyko deshma?
Aid -Aid bhandai gora ko lamo nachus bhanyo, k k bujjchan, bujrukharu.
ekatira pure anti maoist ra arkatira pure protectionists. budhha ley madhya marga bhanthey…
Mt,
‘Fatalistic’? I call it reality. 15,000 people die of diarrhea a year. That’s more people than have been killed 1n 10 years of Maoist rule.
And we’re talking about diarrhea, which in most countries is merely an irritant. I don’t even know what the figures are that pertain to more deadly diseases.
And I’m not fatalistic. I don’t believe in fate. In fact, I realize that people have a right to change their destinies. I realize that people don’t have to die by their thousands every year, that its wrong for them to. If anything, you’re fatalistic. You simply want the status quo to remain the same. What you’re saying is ‘oh, let them go on dying’, nothing can be done.
…
add to that 15 000, another 18 000 for the number of people who die from T B each year
another 15/ 20 thousand for the people who die from smoking related disease
If you guys think dyeing of disease and killing a healthy living, breathing human being is the same – it leaves me gob smacked!
Can everyone hear what the Maoist murderers have demanded…to house their supporters for 10 days! Are they friggin insane?..How can they even consider themselves a part of the country when trample on human rights every second..well, the rest of the world is watching and aint dumb like most of the uneducated fools in Nepal..It’s absurd how all the friggin uneducated ppl who dont have a single quality or qualification can be part of the political system. …How can people be ok with a group that has forced themselves into the system through violence and extremism…”Once a murderer always a murderer”
OK morons…free will and human rights is the most vital aspect of any race or individual…ppl die of disease and everything else but that cannot be compared to the sin of supressing human rights…Maoist = Rape of human rights…
I say we need to kick all those aged 65+ off the politican system…Girija the first one…they have no future to live to so they can do whatever they want…also they’re concepts, ways are old and stagnant just like them.
For all of you here who think that Maoist are trying to better the country let me shed some light in ur hollow skulls…
IT DOESNT MATTER HOW BETTER THE COUNTRY WILL BE OR WHAT PROMISE THEY HOLD, THE MURDERS AND DEATHS THEY INCITED CAN NEVER BE JUSTIFIED. AND FOR THAT REASON THEY CAN NEVER HAVE A SEAT IN THE GOVERMENT.
jesus royalist ranting?
royalist??…Kirat u piece of judgemental shit…i aint no royalist…but i would prefer a person who is ineffective = king in place of a murderer = maoist…smartasses like u who catagorize every individual is also the core reason of the failure of the country…challenge my ideas..not me personally…like i said..ignorant uneducated fools like u need to start learning to play with thoughts and accceptance
jesus-temper, temper with that sort of retort what makes you think you are any better than the Maoists?
Samrat Singh,
Stop talking nonsense. For your info Subhash Ghising was also funded and backed by Gyanendra for the cause of greater Nepal.
Burningman,
Specialy for you.
Similarly
Decoding maoist propaganda:
“extremist” — a rebel
“democracy” — what is that? Yes, a word to use for the hell of it because people seem to like the word. But it is’nt in the dictionary called the little red book.
“violent” — a word to compare with other historical events. If we killed less compared to other nations in our process then that’s okay. Violence is a means to justify our ends -whatever it may be!!!!
“peace” — Maoist totalitarian society. Speak up against us and you will rest in peace be assured!
“communism” — You know that word everyone likes – it is actually “democracy”, our democracy. Follow and you will be fine. But don’t forget “peace”!
“maoist” — a communist who is, in fact, a communist. Agreed!
I work for UN we don’t need them christians for peace and those white faggpts who think right now they are the king of this country and they own Nepal After i leave i Join ALKAIDA. thank u HATE them who is ruling u when king had power kantipur and americans were ruling u not King. all their mastermind to control ur country WAKE UP NEPALI.