Nepal said on Wednesday the government and Maoist rebels had agreed on a ceasefire, 14 months after peace talks broke down, triggering one of the bloodiest spells in the six-year revolt. More than 7,200 people have died, most of them in the past 14 months, in the Maoist rebellion aimed at toppling the constitutional monarchy in the world’s only Hindu kingdom. Norway offers to mediate, hopes repeat of Lanka success KATHMANDU: After it’s success in bringing the warring Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government to the negotiating table, Norway has said it is ready to help set up peace talks between the Government of Nepal and Maoist rebels. ‘‘Norway will mediate peace talks in Nepal if both parties show genuine interest for its involvement in facilitating the negotiations,’’ Norwegian Ambassador to Nepal, Ingrid Ronnaug Ofstad, was quoted as saying by the government-run Nepal daily The Rising, today. She added that Norway has been playing an important role in maintaining peace and has established a long tradition in supporting humanitarian issues. However she declined to reveal whether the government or Maoists made any initiatives for a Norwegian mediation. Ofstad suggested that a comprehensive cease-fire agreement will be the first step towards peace. She also warned that Norway would be forced to stop its aid to Nepal if democratic process was not resumed by holding elections to the Parliament and local bodies. The Kathmandu Post quoted Ofstad as saying ‘‘If democratic pillars like the Parliament and the local bodies remain non-functional for long, and if human rights violations continue, then Norway may have to resort to terminating its aid to Nepal.” (PTI) ‘‘Yes, both sides have announced a ceasefire,’’ Planning and Works Minister Narayan Singh Pun, who is the Minister in Charge of Negotiations, said. ‘‘The peace process will begin immediately,’’ he said, without elaborating. Maoist rebels earlier on Wednesday declared a truce and said they were ready for talks after the government had made some concessions. In a statement to Nepalese newspapers, rebel leader Prachanda said the government had declared its own ceasefire, dropped the price on his head and withdrawn allegations of terrorism. ‘‘We.declare an immediate ceasefire and participation in the peace process,’’ Prachanda said. Nepal’s Cabinet was meeting at Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand’s home late on Wednesday and could not be immediately reached for comment. Prachanda ordered his guerrillas to stop fighting and said the Maoists would push peacefully for an interim administration to oversee elections for a constituent Assembly which would draft a new constitution for the Himalayan kingdom. At least 13 Maoist rebels and three soldiers were killed on Wednesday in a gunbattle, in a surge of violence after the weekend assassination of the head of the country’s elite anti-rebel wing. Nepal, one of the world’s poorest nations dependent on aid and tourism, has been shattered by the increasingly violent revolt and the massacre of King Birendra and eight other royals in 2001. King Gyanendra, who assumed power after the killings, suspended the fragile democracy late last year and sacked the elected prime minister in a row over the timing of national elections, installing the staunchly monarchist Chand. (Reuters)
