Maoists still undecided over extension of ceasefire
With just one week remaining when the three-month long unilateral ceasefire declared by the CPN (Maoist) comes to an end, the rebel party is yet to decide whether to extend the truce or not.
Maoist chairman Prachanda in an interview with krishnasenonline, the online mouthpiece of the rebel outfit, said the party has not yet decided on extending the ceasefire. “The party has not taken any concrete decision on extending the ceasefire. The party headquarters will take a decision in this connection after studying the overall situation,” he clarified.
The rebel top gun accused the royal government of applying its repressive methods against Maoist activists and “is using the ceasefire to expand its security camps, which is compelling us to take a harsh decision.”
When asked about the impact it would have on the recent 12-point agreement with the seven opposition parties if the Maoists decide to discontinue their ceasefire, Prachanda said, “We have done sufficient amount of discussion with the parties on this issue. So, even if we break the ceasefire, it will not affect the understanding.”
Following hectic parleys in New Delhi, India, the seven-party alliance and the Maoists had brought out a 12-point ‘understanding’ on November 22, vowing to end what they called autocratic monarchy to establish ‘total democracy’. They also agreed to go for elections to a constituent assembly in order to peacefully resolve the ongoing crisis.
In the interview, the Maoist chairman claimed that by saying in the agreement with the parties, “to end autocratic monarchy to establish total democracy” his party didn’t hint at any compromise its agenda for constitutional or ‘ceremonial monarchy’.
“But we are committed to accept the mandate of elections to constituent assembly and the agreement paper also highlights the same spirit.”
The rebel chief also made it clear that his party had not back-pedalled from its demand for a republican setup. “Any interpretation that we have given up our immediate goal of republicanism could be a result of the failure to understand the spirit of the agreement paper,” he said, adding, “In the agreement, we have mentioned that the constituent assembly demand is not conditional; it’s unconditional.”
“In this context, our party sees no difficulty in moving ahead in favour of our immediate policy of achieving democratic republicanism,” Prachanda further said. nepalnews.com mk Nov 26 05
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