Talks between Nepal Govt, Maoists focus on Assembly polls

KATHMANDU: Three weeks after the G P Koirala-led multi-party alliance came to power, Nepal's Government on Friday launched peace talks with Maoists here in an attempt to end the decade-old rebel insurgency and clear the way for the Constituent Assembly elections.

The talks between the Government and the Maoists started at 4 pm and continued even after 8 pm at a luxurious resort at Gokarna in eastern Kathmandu.

Home Minister Krishna Sitaula is leading the Government's team while Maoist Spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara is heading the rebels' side.

The discussions mainly covered issues such as the peoples' aspirations, the Parliament Declaration, the Constituent Assembly, the 12-point understanding reached between the Maoists and the government, drafting a common code of conduct and finalizing the date and venue for next round of talks, according to state-run Nepal Television.

Both teams have three members each. Other members of the Government's team are Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Pradip Gyawali and Minister of State for Labour and Transport Ramesh Lekhak.

Besides Mahara, the Maoist team has Dinanath Sharma and Dev Gurung as members. This was the first formal meeting between the two sides after the Girija Prasad Koirala government came to power last month following a 19-day agitation by the seven-party alliance that forced King Gyanendra to give up his 14-month absolute rule.