Hopes rise for Nepal peace

Truce came too late for Nepal's murdered police chief

There is cautious optimism in Nepal after Maoist rebels and the government announced a surprise ceasefire.

The deal came late on Wednesday after 24 hours of secret negotations.

We can at least hope for peace now

Bhagawati Thapa
labourer

Both sides say they are ready to discuss ending seven years of war which have brought the country to its knees and left more than 7,000 people dead.

Correspondents say the mood among Nepalis is upbeat and that hopes for lasting peace are high.

"The ceasefire is good because it means there will be no more killings. The violence must end forever," said businessman Shiva Ram Gajurel.

But similar optimism in the past has proved short-lived. The conflict entered its bloodiest phase after peace talks broke down in November 2001.

Many people are also sceptical that the rebels, who want to replace the kingdom's constitutional monarchy with a communist republic, will respect the ceasefire.

The BBC's Daniel Lak in Kathmandu says the breakthrough is the best hope for peace since fighting began in 1996.

He says bargaining positions may seem far apart at the moment, but public pressure for peace is immense - so compromise may be more possible now than in the past.

'Unprecedented'

So far no talks date or venue has been set.

But the government has appointed a peace envoy, Planning and Works Minister Narayan Singh Pun, who says he is confident that the days of violence are over.

The rebels have proved highly elusive

"The peace process will begin immediately," he said.

"The rebels are contacting us within the next two days with their proposal of venue and agenda."

Newspapers are overwhelmingly positive about developments.

An editorial in the Nepali Times described the political will on both sides to negotiate a lasting settlement as unprecedented.

The Nepali-language Rajdhani daily said the ceasefire was a rare opportunity "and very good news for the nation".

Conditions

Wednesday's statement by the rebel leader, Prachanda, said the ceasefire would take immediate effect.

Distant rebel units had been notified, it added.

Shortly afterwards, the Nepalese Government said it would also observe a suspension of hostilities.

The government precipitated peace moves by agreeing to three conditions:

• To stop calling the Maoists terrorists
• To lift rewards offered for their arrest
• To withdraw international police warrants issued for the rebel leaders

The Maoist leader also reasserted his group's demands for constitutional changes in Nepal. However, he made no mention of the rebels' long-standing demand for the abolition of the monarchy.

Our correspondent says the fact that the two sides managed to reach an agreement in private without the glare of publicity bodes well for future peace talks.

He says military pressure may have added to the Maoist decision to come to the negotiating table, but neither side looked likely to win outright any time soon.