Govt, Maoists fail to sign peace accord

The government and the Maoists failed to finalise the peace accord, which was scheduled to be signed today.
Maoist talks team member Dev Gurung told Nepalnews that some clauses in the draft of the peace accord presented by the Peace Committee, including clauses on human rights, came in the way of consensus.
Hectic discussions between the government and Maoist teams on Wednesday and Thursday morning ended inconclusively.
Gurung said the peace accord would be signed while finalising the interim constitution on November 21.
"We asked only to include provisions related to ceasefire but they insisted on the existing provisions in the draft," he said.
He also informed that discussion would continue on the draft and there would be a consensus by the time the eight parties finalise the interim statute. "We have agreed to finalise both the peace accord and interim constitution together since many provisions in the draft need be included in the interim constitution," he added.
After the two sides failed to finalise the accord, Maoist chairman Prachanda and Prime Minister Girija Parsad Koirala held discussion at the latter’s residence in Baluwatar to re-schedule the timeline agreed on November 8. The meeting was still underway till 1:45 p.m.

US Assistant Secretary; EU Troika arrive in Nepal

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A. Boucher and the European Union Troika arrived in Kathmandu this morning on a three-day visit to Nepal.
Richard arrived here to discuss Nepal's latest political situation.
Talking to reporters following his arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, Boucher said that he would discuss the latest developments in the ongoing peace process.
The Assistant Secretary will meet top political leaders, government representatives, and members of civil society among others during his stay.
Similarly, the EU Troika, led by Pekka Metso, Director for Asia in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, representing the Presidency of the EU also arrived in Kathmandu today.
According to reports, the Troika will meet high-level representatives of the Government of Nepal, political parties and members of the civil society.
Talking to journalists upon his arrival to Nepal, chief of the team Metso said that the decision to bring Maoists into interim government is a necessary step for restoration of peace in the country.
Meanwhile, politburo member of the ruling Communist Party of India and Upper House member Sitaram Yechuri is also arriving in Kathmandu today.
Yechuri, during his two-day stay in Kathmandu, is scheduled to meet Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala, CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Maoist Chairman Prachanda and other leaders of the SPA and Maoists, according to sources.
Yechuri played important role to garner international support in favour of April movement of the country.
These visits coincide with signature on the comprehensive peace accord by the Government of Nepal and the CPN (Maoist) as per the agreement reached between the ruling seven party alliance and Maoists on November 8.

Nepal rebels step up recruitment before peace deal

Nepal's Maoist insurgents have embarked on a recruitment drive ahead of signing a peace deal this week, residents and media reports said on Wednesday, with hundreds of young men and boys forced to join the rebel army.
Under the deal supposed to end a 10-year insurgency, the Maoists say they will place their 35,000-strong rebel force in specially established camps and keep their weapons under lock and key, with Nepal's army also promising to stay in its barracks.
But as the clock ticks towards the signing, more than 400 people have been forced to join the Maoists in the Surkhet and Dailekh districts of western Nepal in the past three days, according to the The Kathmandu Post daily.
Villagers from Kohalpur near the western town of Nepalgunj told Reuters that dozens of young men, including schoolboys as young as 15, were taken from their village by the Maoists.
"They were taken by the Maoists who promised to recruit them in their army," Om Prakash Oli, chief of a school management committee in Kohalpur village, 320 km (200 miles) west of Kathmandu, said by telephone.
"Parents are worried about their children."
The Maoists denied they were responsible but the government said it was a violation of a code of conduct signed in May, shortly after peace talks began and a ceasefire was agreed.
"They must stop these types of activities immediately," Ram Chandra Poudel, head of the state's Peace Committee, told Reuters.
The peace deal was agreed in principle last week. In return for confining their forces to camps, the rebels will join an interim government and parliament.
But reports of extortion and recruitment have continued to flood in from the countryside since the ceasefire was agreed. The rebels deny any recruitment.
"We are ourselves preparing to keep our army in camps. Why should we recruit more?" asked senior Maoist leader Dina Nath Sharma, a rebel negotiator.
More than 13,000 people have died since the Maoist conflict began in 1996 to topple the monarchy.
Peace talks began after King Gyanendra ended absolute rule and handed power back to political parties following weeks of democracy protests in April.

Joint team inspects guerrilla's camp sites in eastern Nepal

A government minister, the United Nations (UN) representatives and the guerrilla military commanders Sunday visited Kavre and Sindhuli district in eastern Nepal to inspect the proposed cantonment areas where the guerrillas' armed forces People's Liberation Army would be confined till Constituent Assembly election.

According to a leading news media group's website, thehimalayantimes.com report, the government minister, officials from Home Ministry, Nepali Army, Janapad Police and Armed Police Force, UN representatives and the guerrilla commanders flew to Kamidanda area of Kavre district to survey the proposed location for a guerrilla's camps Sunday morning.

Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture Pradip Gyawali and joint secretary at the Home Ministry Durga Nath Sharma were among those visiting the area.

Personal representative of secretary general of UN Ian Martin, UN military advisor Jan Eric Wilhemson and two other UN officials, and the guerrillas' deputy-commander Nanda Kishor Pun were also present during the inspection of the camp sites.

The guerrilla signed an agreement with the ruling Seven Party Alliance government on Wednesday to join an interim government, lock up their weapons and place their armies under United Nations supervision.

They agreed to set up seven main and 21 sub camps in Palpa, Kavre, Rolpa, Kailali, Surkhet, Ilam and Sindhuli in eastern Nepal.

Source: Xinhua

Joint inspection team visits proposed cantonment sites in Kavre, Sindhuli

A joint inspection team comprising the United Nations and representatives of the government and the CPN (Maoist) visited proposed cantonment site of Kavre and Sindhuli districts on Sunday.
According to reports, UN security expert Jan Erik Wilhemson and two other UN officials, one of the member of the government talks team, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Pradip Gyawali, Under Secretary at the Home Ministry Durga Nath Sharma, Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Nepal Police Amar Singh Shah, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of armed police force Kishor Lama, Major General Amar Pant, Brigadier General Shiva Raj Pradhan of Nepali Army, Maoist deputy commanders Nanda Kishor Pun ‘Pasang’ and Chandra Prasad Neupane a.k.a. Baldev, inspected the proposed cantonment area of Kamidanda of Kavre district and Dudhauli of Sindhuli district.
Nearly 2,500 Maoists combatants will be placed at the Kamidanda camp.
However talking to journalists after inspecting the proposed cantonment sites, Minister Gyawali said that they are yet to take decision about the cantonment. He also added that the cantonment sites could be changed from the proposed site.
The joint team had visited the proposed cantonment site of eastern hilly district of Ilam on Saturday and surveyed Chulachuli area for cantonment.
As per the agreement between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists, there will be seven main cantonments along with 21 tributary cantonments where the PLA members will be kept along with their weapons under close monitoring of the UN. The cantonments have been proposed in Ilam, Palpa, Kavre, Sindhuli, Surkhet, Rolpa and Kailali districts.