Maoists to go back to war if Nepal not made republic
Koirala urged to push India to set free jailed rebels
Afp, reuters, Kathmandu
Nepal's Maoist leader has warned that the rebels will go back to war unless Nepal is made a republic following constituent assembly elections, local media reported yesterday. The new government and rebel Maoists have observed a ceasefire for over a month, after King Gyanendra was forced to end his total rule in April after weeks of anti-royal protests. "There is no political way out unless the country opts for a republican setup. If the parties are not ready to accept republicanism as per the aspirations of people...we are ready to wage the final war," Prachanda said at a meeting in Morang district in eastern Nepal, the Nepali language daily Samacharpatra reported. The new government has agreed to a key Maoist demand, for elections to a body that will rewrite the constitution, and both sides have agreed on a ceasefire code of conduct. Since the king handed back power to parliament in April, his powers have been dramatically clipped, he has lost his control of the army and has been removed from politics. The Maoist leader, whose name means "the fierce one," warned that there were people in the new government trying to undermine the fragile peace process. "Some of the ministers in the present government are brokers of America. They are working to make the talks unsuccessful, sideline us and take all the credit for themselves," the Nepali Language daily Samacharpatra quoted Prachanda as saying. The rebels have been fighting a "people's war" for the last decade, during which at least 12,500 people have been killed. The current ceasefire is the third between the government and the Maoists. The previous two broke down plunging the country back into violence. Earlier Nepal's Maoist rebels urged Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to seek the release of about 150 comrades jailed in India, during his visit to the giant neighbour beginning yesterday. It is Koirala's first trip abroad since he took power in April after weeks of street protests in the Himalayan nation forced King Gyanendra to restore parliament and end direct rule. The rebels and the new multi-party government have since agreed to hold elections for a special assembly to prepare a new constitution that would decide the future of monarchy.
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