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KATHMANDU, Aug 22: The leader of Nepal’s largest party has warned that he will lobby for an end to the constitutional monarchy if Maoist rebels and the government make a pact to redraft the constitution, officials said on Friday.
Girija Prasad Koirala, the president of the Nepali Congress which is part of a five-party alliance opposed to Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, said: “The Maoists should decide if they side either with the monarch or with the parliamentary forces.”
“We will launch a campaign for a republic form of government if attempts are made to replace the present constitution,” he told a Nepali Congress meeting Thursday in the western city of Pokhara, as quoted by party officials.
Long-delayed peace talks between the Maoists and Thapa’s government broke down Tuesday with the rebels calling for a “constituent assembly” that would revise the constitution and demanding an apology for the killing of at least 17 Maoist cadres on the eve of the negotiations.
Thapa met with his cabinet Thursday to review the deadlocked peace process, amid fears the stalemate could lead to a breakdown in the ceasefire which has largely held since January 29.
US APPEAL: The United States urged the Nepali government and Maoist rebels on Friday to continue talks to try and end a long-running revolt in which more than 7,200 people have been killed.
In a statement, the United States embassy in Nepal said the government offer addressed some of the rebels’ concerns.
“The political proposals advanced by the government of Nepal during that round directly address a number of the Maoists’ proclaimed socio-economic concerns and thus offer a realistic vehicle for productive discussions,” it said.—AFP/Reuters
