Nepal enters 'new era' after Maoists, govt end civil war

NEPAL: Nepal's Maoist rebels and the central government declared the impoverished nation was entering a "new era" Wednesday after signing a landmark peace deal that ends more than a decade of civil war.

Maoist leader Prachanda and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala signed off on the landmark accord late on Tuesday, formally bringing the rebels out of the hills and jungles and into the political mainstream.

"This moment marks the end of the 238-year-old feudal system, and it also marks the end of 11 years of civil war," declared Prachanda, whose chosen name means "the fierce one".

The leader, a 52-year-old teacher-turned-revolutionary whose thousands of fighters control large swathes of the countryside, promised a "new Nepal".

Koirala also said the Himalayan kingdom, one of the ten poorest countries on earth whose tourism-reliant economy has been badly hit by the bloodshed, had "entered into a new era".

"The agreement has ended the politics of killings, violence and terror and started the politics of cooperation," the 85-year-old premier said.

"Now we need to meet together in cooperation and understanding to make sure this agreement is fully implemented."

To celebrate, the government declared Wednesday a public holiday.

"All the government offices and diplomatic missions abroad will be closed Wednesday," an elated Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaule told AFP.

Under the deal the rebels - who still feature on Washington's list of foreign terrorist organisations - are to end their "people's war" aimed at overthrowing the monarchy by force, join an interim government and enter parliament.

They must also place their arms and troops under United Nations monitoring, and will face mounting pressure to end alleged forced recruitment, including of child soldiers, extortion and political assassinations.

The UN said it now has to move fast to shore up the deal. "I hope that we will quickly be able to reach tripartite agreement on the full modalities for the management of arms and armies," said Ian Martin, the personal representative of UN chief Kofi Annan in Nepal.

"The Secretary-General has said that he intends to move promptly to respond to the request to the United Nations to help in key areas of the peace process," he said in a statement.

Kathmandu, Wednesday, AFP