Stalled Nepal peace talks set to resume

NEPAL: Peace talks between Nepal's rebel Maoists and multi-party government were due to resume Tuesday after the two sides failed to resolve their differences on the role of the monarchy in the Himalayan nation.

The two sides - which have been observing a ceasefire for the past six months - met informally on Monday for six hours, but postponed the formal launch of negotiations until Tuesday.

"Some technical problems cropped up during informal discussions between the seven-party leaders," said Labour Minister Ramesh Lekhak, referring to the seven-party coalition government.

Negotiators had said that they had been expecting a breakthrough in Nepal's protracted peace process after the rebel Maoists agreed at the weekend to lock up their weapons and place them under United Nations supervision.

The disarming of the rebels had been a sticking point in the six-month-old peace process aimed at ending a bloody conflict that has claimed at least 12,500 lives in Nepal over the past decade.

But talks bogged down over whether the role of the monarchy should be determined in a national referendum or during elections to choose a body to redraft the country's constitution, Lehkak said. Monday's talks also stumbled because two of the largest parties in the seven-party government could not agree on the make-up of the interim parliament.

The multi-party government came to power in April after mass protests forced King Gyanendra to end direct rule.

Since declaring a ceasefire in May, the two sides have held two rounds of high-level peace talks. In June, the government and the Maoist rebels agreed to hold elections to a constituent assembly to rewrite the country's basic law - a key rebel demand.

The two sides also agreed five months ago to form an interim parliament that would include the Maoists.

This is the third time the two sides have tried to hammer out a peace deal. Two previous attempts, one in 2001 and one in 2003, both failed, plunging the country back into conflict.

Kathmandu, Tuesday, AFP