Nepal Maoists extend truce with dire warning

As the ceasefire called by Nepal's Maoist guerrillas after the fall of King Gyanendra's government ended Friday, their leaders extended the truce by another three months, but warned the new government and parliament they would launch a fresh movement if the peace talks continued to flounder.

"To prove our commitment and responsibility to people's aspirations, we are extending the ceasefire by three more months," Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda said in a statement issued Friday.

However, the rebel chief warned that the gesture should not be taken as a sign of weakness.

"We want to follow the pact we signed with the seven-party ruling alliance (SPA) and take peace talks forward," he said. "But if that fails, we would be compelled to begin another intense though peaceful people's movement," Prachanda added.

The warning was triggered by the growing suspicion between the guerrillas and parliament.

The Maoists say that when Gyanendra was ruling Nepal with absolute power, they formed a pact with the opposition parties to unitedly fight the king by staging continuous peaceful street protests. It was their participation in the anti-king demonstrations three months ago that forced the king to step down.

However, after the king's ouster about three months ago, the parties went back on their promise to form a new government with the rebels. Instead, the SPA made the king reinstate parliament and give it supreme authority.

Since then, the house has been taking major decisions, usurping the Maoists' role as social reformer.

While the rebels say the SPA had pledged to dissolve the house within a week, the members of parliament have been up in arms against the proposal, saying the house would remain intact till Nepal goes to poll to decide between monarchy and a republic.

Flaying the government and parliament, Prachanda said both were trying to back down from fulfilling the promises made during the April protests.

"The house has pipe dreams of perpetuating its existence while the seven-party government is now siding with the forces that tried to suppress the people's movement," he said.

"They are being manipulated by foreign powers, which is a matter of grave concern," Prachanda added.

The rebels have been especially suspicious about India and the US. When new Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala went on a visit to India last month, the rebel had chief warned him not to sign any secret agreements with the southern neighbour.

Prachanda also took the government to task for writing to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, asking for help to decommission the guerrillas' 'People's Liberation Army'.

"We want the government to stop writing wrong letters abroad and to stop listening to wrong advice from abroad," he said.

"Instead, they should show promptness in fulfilling the aspirations of the people and taking the peace talks forward on the basis of our understanding with them," Prachanda added.

-Indo-Asian News Service

(IANS)

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