Nepal’s main political parties and Maoist insurgents have agreed to work together to end the rule of the king, who sacked the government and seized power in a coup nine months ago.
In a clear attempt to isolate the monarchy, the left-wing guerrillas said they will disarm under ”international” supervision and take part in a multiparty democracy. For the first time the rebels used the word ”peace” in a statement, a significant break with their ideology that had claimed power ”flowed from the barrel of a gun”.
Speaking after his group held talks with an alliance led by former Nepali prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the rebel leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, said: ”We are fully committed to bring the armed conflict to an end and establish permanent peace after ending the autocratic monarchy.”
Nepal’s seven main parties met the rebels’ political wing, the Communist party of Nepal (Maoist), in New Delhi this month to discuss ending years of civil war and creating a united front against the king. The rebels, who have been fighting to establish a communist state since 1996, said they are willing to submit their armed forces to United Nations or international supervision during elections for a constituent Assembly. The civil war has claimed more than 12 000 lives.
King Gyanendra justified his power grab on the grounds that politicians had failed to quell the rebellion. In response to pressure from India, Britain and the United States, the monarch last month offered to hold local elections in February and parliamentary elections in 2007. This failed to assuage the trio. Last week, the US ambassador to Nepal, James Moriarty, said political parties had legitimate worries about whether elections would be free and fair under the state of emergency.
There has also been a recent shift in perception of the Maoists. Analysts point out that the Maoists were ”at heart a political party”, though one that had resorted to terror tactics and coercion.
The independent International Crisis Group said last month the rebels had a strategy ”of a protracted people’s war, both political and military”, adding that ”the two cannot be separated”.
Commentators said a key test will be whether the Maoist rank and file give up their guns peacefully.
”This is a real test of leadership,” said Kanak Mani Dixit, editor of Himal magazine, based in Kathmandu. ”The Maoist high command has been able to keep most of their cadres under control during a three-month ceasefire, and killings by Maoists have dropped dramatically. The question now is: Having silenced the guns, can they give them up?”
Dixit said the king’s political capital is dwindling, parties are slowly gaining the upper hand and the public mood is turning against the king.
”The king is today on safari taking one of two of the country’s jets with him. The trip has cost impoverished Nepal $2,5-million. This sort of thing cannot be overlooked … Before, the politicians could only offer people democracy; now they can offer them peace as well. This could spell the end for the king.” — Guardian Unlimited Â