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Nepal parties agree on peace deal
Agence France Presse - November 2, 2011
The country's main parties met at Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's residence and struck a deal on the number of former Maoist combatants to integrate into the country's army – a key sticking point in the process.
They announced the army would take in 6,500 of the 19,000 Maoists who fought the government in the bloody, 10-year conflict, during which 16,000 people died.
The parliament, or Constituent Assembly, has been tasked with writing a new constitution for the young republic, which ditched its monarchy in 2008, but rival political parties have been locked in dispute over the charter.
The conclusion of the peace process is seen as hugely significant as it makes agreement on the constitution much more likely.
The biggest factions – the ruling Maoists, the UML (Unified Marxist-Leninist), the main opposition Nepali Congress and a conglomeration of regional Madeshi parties – agreed Tuesday to stick with a November 30 deadline for completing the constitution.
The assembly has been extended three times after failing to reach a consensus on the document, which is seen as key to paving the way for fresh elections and to post-war development.
The deal also committed the parties to make progress on the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission and another body to investigate the disappearances of nearly 1,200 people during the Maoist insurgency.
Initial euphoria and optimism that followed the end of the civil war and the abolition of the unpopular monarchy soon gave way to public anger and mounting frustration in one of the world's poorest countries.
Observers have warned that Bhattarai, who leads a fragile multi-party coalition, faces an uphill task in the country's divided political arena.
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