November 12, 2001	Monday	Shaba’an 25, 1422

KATHMANDU, Nov 11: Nepal’s Maoists on Sunday officially said they had “deferred” their demand for a republic ahead of a third round of peace talks with the government.

Chairman of the Maoist party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, said in a statement: “Our demand for a republic has been deferred for the third round of talks.” The issue had been a major stumbling block in two previous rounds of talks between the two sides.

The Maoists had insisted that negotiations could only succeed if the government agreed to end the system of constitutional monarchy, but the government has refused to discuss the issue.

Last week Maoist sources indicated that they were ready to “defer” the demand for a republic, but Sunday’s statement was the first official confirmation that they had formally changed their agenda.

“The decision to drop the issue of monarchy in the talks with the government aims at furthering legal and democratic exercise,” Prachanda said.

He said his party would leave the issue of the monarchy for the “people to decide”.

“This decision of the party is to give a political outlet to the present complex problem of the country, which should not be taken as weakness in our party,” the statement said.

Instead the Maoists’ negotiating team will concentrate on their other demands of an interim government and a new constitution.

Peace talks came about after a truce between the government and the Maoists initiated by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in July. The third round of talks is expected to take place soon. On Friday the government said it had agreed to release 68 jailed Maoists and to end local authorities’ wide-ranging powers of arrest as a goodwill gesture before a new round of talks.—AFP