Prachanda, Indian envoy hold parley
In what appears to be the first formal parley between an Indian government representative and the Maoist top brass, Maoist chairman Prachanda and Indian ambassador Shiv Shankar Mukherjee held discussion on Nepal's peace process at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu Tuesday evening.
Prachanda entered the Indian Embassy located at Lazimpat at around 4:00 p.m. and the meeting, which was focussed on the “prevailing political situation”, went for more than an hour, according to embassy spokesperson Gopal Bagley.
“They discussed the prevailing political situation in Nepal,” Bagley told Nepalnews, confirming that it was the first meeting between the Indian envoy and the Maoist leaders.
Senior Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai was also present during the meeting.
The meeting came as the ruling seven-party alliance and Maoists geared up for what they term a decisive summit meeting.
Meanwhile, US ambassador to Nepal James F Moriarty returned to Kathmandu this afternoon after holding consultations with Indian government officials on Nepal’s ongoing peace process. Moriarty said he apprised the Indian officials about the US government’s position that the Maoists should law down arms before joining an interim government.
The Indian establishment has not said anything categorically regarding the process of management of arms and political settlement in Nepal, though it has expressed support to UN monitoring in arms management and resolution of the problems with internal efforts. nepalnews.com mk Oct 31 06
