Kathmandu, Aug 05: Appealing to all political parties to join the third round of peace talks with Maoist rebels, Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa has said the government requires their cooperation for making the peace process a success and assured them that their demands would be looked into. Responding to the Maoist offer, Thapa said, "The third round of talks with the Maoist will start soon". He, however, did not specify a date for fresh talks.

"The government is committed to resolving the Maoist problem through dialogue to establish a durable peace in the country," he said in a statement released yesterday, adding the peace talks should not be disrupted, they must succeed and cooperation from all sections of the society is required for its successful conclusion. "The challenge before us at present is to ensure the success of the talks. Cooperation from every segment of society in general and the political parties in particular is essential for the peace talks to succeed," he was quoted as saying by 'the rising Nepal.'

The Prime Minister also assured the political parties that issues raised by them concerning the controversy and impasse over implementation of the constitutional system could be resolved through mutual dialogue and understanding. He said the upcoming talks with Maoist rebels would essentially dwell on the political agenda submitted by the rebels.

"The next round of talks could be instrumental in paving the way for progressive political reforms, which could not be done in the past," he added.

Bureau Report