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| Monday, 19 July 2004 |
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Nepali Govt's main aim to bring Maoists to peace table KATHMANDU, Sunday (AFP) Nepal's deputy prime minister said the government's central goal was to bring Maoist rebels to the negotiating table and end a deadly revolt that has sapped the country's already poor economy. "Our main aim is to bring the Maoist rebels to the peace table to end the conflict in the country," Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari told a news conference. Adhikari, who is also finance minister, made the statement as he gave more details about the national budget he released which increased defence and security spending by 13 percent but also allocated money to set up a "peace secretariat." "It is not the time to indulge in conflicts but all the political parties and the general public need to unite to solve the Maoist problem," he said. The security, peace and rural oriented budget's total planned expenditure was 111.68 billion rupees (1.57 billion dollars) for the 2004-2005 financial year, up nearly 20 percent from the previous year. He also reiterated the government's commitment to hold parliamentary elections by mid-April 2005 as promised by King Gyanendra. While increasing security spending, Adhikari said there was an urgent need for negotiations with the Maoist rebels to restore peace and security in the country, one of the world's poorest, which is largely dependent on aid. He said the government planned to set up a peace secretariat to start negotiations with the rebels and had set aside 20 million rupees for initial spending on the project. The minister also said the government was committed to holding general elections by mid-April 2005 as promised by King Gyanendra. |
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