Nepal talks: PM says all parties must participate

Nepalese Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has asked all parties to participate in the peace talks starting soon and assured that the go...

Nepalese Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has asked all parties to participate in the peace talks starting soon and assured that the government will make the whole exercise transparent.‘‘The government does not want to exclude political parties in the peace process. We invite them to be a part of the peace process and we are ready to disseminate whatever information they want from us,’’ Chand said here yesterday.

Chand’s remarks came in contrast to that of Minister for Housing, Physical Planning and Construction and talks coordinator Narayan Singh Pun, who stated that the government will not wait for parties to join the talks,

which he claimed will start within a week.

Victims of rebel violence in Nepal demand justice before talks

KATHMANDU: Amid reports that Nepal might release some Maoists under detention ahead of peace talks, the victims of the violence said ‘‘criminals’’ who killed their near and dear ones should not be allowed to go scotfree. The government is moving to release the rebels who are under detention, said Narayan Singh Pun, the government’s talks coordinator. Talks are likely to begin by next week in Kathmandu.

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Even as the government and Maoists were finalising a 20-point code of conduct to start talks to end the seven-yr-long insurgency, the victims of insurgency said the ongoing peace process should take note of their pains and sufferings. (PTI)

Parties, including Nepali Congress and Nepal Communist Party (UML), had recently boycotted the all-party meeting called by Chand and had demanded that the peace process must be transparent. ‘‘I am still hopeful that they will participate in the peace process in the days ahead,’’ he said. ‘‘Peace is the ultimate goal of people from all walks of life,’’ Chand said adding all the parties and the civic society should extend cooperation to every effort of the government to restore law and order in the country.

Meanwhile, Pun said the talks would be held in three phases: political, military and humanitarian levels. Currently the main challenge before the nation is to include the Maoists within the framework of existing polity through safe management of the ongoing conflict, he added.