Kathmandu, Apr 27: The Nepalese government and Maoist rebels planned to meet for much-delayed peace talks today after government negotiators agreed to discuss political issues during the meeting, a rebel negotiator said. "Besides discussing the political agenda, we would also be talking about forming a joint monitoring team and appointing facilitators for the talks," said Krishna Bahadur Mahara, a member of the rebel negotiating team. The six-member government team, led by Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal, was to meet with five rebel negotiators led by their second-in-command, Baburam Bhattarai, at a hotel in Kathmandu. The talks, aimed at resolving the seven-year insurgency that has claimed over 7,000 lives in this Himalayan kingdom, had been planned to start April 21. But the rebels withdrew after the two sides could not agree on what would be discussed.
The government had wanted initially to use the talks as an introduction, but Maoist negotiators insisted that the two sides also tackle political issues.

The rebels are demanding an interim government and a new constitution. They are also demanding that hundreds of their supporters be released from jail.

The rebels declared a cease-fire in January and agreed to peace talks after the government agreed to stop calling them terrorists, rescinded a bounty on the heads of rebel leaders and cancelled a notice to Interpol seeking their arrest.

Bureau Report