[Marxism] FW: Maoists to help govern Nepal (Associated Press)

["Richard Fidler" <rfidler@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Maoists to help govern Nepal

?Historic? decision announced in capital 

BY BINAJ GURUBACHARYA 
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 
[Ottawa Citizen, 17/06/06]

KATHMANDU, Nepal 
? The leader of Nepal?s Maoist rebels announced a landmark
agreement yesterday that will see his followers part of the
Himalayan kingdom?s government for the first time. 
    The long-elusive rebel leader known simply as Prachanda
emerged from a daylong meeting with top government leaders
and said an interim government would be formed within a
month. 
    ?This is a historic decision and will move the country
in a new direction,? he told reporters. 
    The interim government, which will eventually create a
new constitution, will replace the current national
parliament, as well as the Maoists? ?people?s government,?
which rules territory they control. 
    Members of the government that took office after mass
protests forced the king to give up absolute power on April
24 had no immediate comment. But Home Minister Krishna
Sitaula read the text of the deal before giving way so
Prachanda could address reporters. 
    It remains to be seen if the leaders of the traditional
political parties and the rebels can work together after a
decadelong insurgency by the Maoists that killed 13,000
people and ruined Nepal?s tourism business. 
    The accord announced also calls for oversight by the
United Nations of Nepalese soldiers and Maoist fighters. It
makes no mention, however, of disarmament. 
    ?Today?s meeting was a breakthrough in establishing
peace in Nepal,? said Narayan Wagle, editor of Kantipur, the
country?s biggest newspaper. ?Prachanda appearing in public
in the capital was a big achievement that guarantees that
they (the rebels) will not be returning to the jungles.? 
    It was the first time Prachanda, whose real name is
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, had met the country?s top leadership
since the insurgency began in 1996. 
    The past year has seen immense political changes in
Nepal, where weeks of mass street protests and a general
strike organized by an alliance between the rebels and the
now-ruling parties forced King Gyanendra to relinquish the
absolute power he had seized in early 2005. 


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