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| Friday, 18 June 2004 |
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Andhra Pradesh offers three-month ceasefire to Maoist rebels NEW DELHI, Thursday (AFP) The southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh offered a three-month ceasefire to Maoist guerrillas paving the way for the start of peace talks with the outlawed rebels, officials said. State Home Minister K. Jana Reddy offered the ceasefire a day after the People's War Group (PWG) demanded a truce as a prelude to talks to end their decades-long insurgency which has claimed thousands of lives. "By stopping the combing (search) operations, the government is already implementing a virtual ceasefire. However, in response to the PWG's proposals, the government suggests a three-month (ceasefire) period," Reddy told a news conference in the state capital Hyderabad. Reddy however said said his newly-formed state government was not lifting a ban imposed on the PWG by the previous state administration of ousted chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. "This matter will be considered at a later stage," he said, adding that his government was also accepting the PWG's demand for safe passage for its representatives taking part in peace talks. The group is also pressing for the formation of a panel to monitor the ceasefire's implementation. "My government is also ready to set up such a committee to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire, as suggested by the Maoist organisation," the minister said. Wednesday's unilateral ceasefire is the first since 1989 when the then administration halted a crackdown against the leftwing insurgents. The state government of Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy vowed after taking office last month to try to end the bloodletting through talks with the guerrillas, who are suspected to have links with Maoist rebels in Nepal. Andhra Pradesh is now governed by India's ruling Congress party. |
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