The Hindu : National : Oli expects Maoist role in interim government

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Wednesday, Nov 08, 2006
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Oli expects Maoist role in interim government

Special Correspondent

New Delhi: K.P. Sharma Oli, Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, said here on Tuesday that the peace process in his country was "in the final stage of positive conclusion" and that he fully expected the Maoists to join the interim government.

Delivering the Dinesh Singh Memorial Lecture at the Indian Council for World Affairs, Mr. Oli took a swipe at the earlier Indian policy of supporting the monarchy. "We whole-heartedly commend India for its realisation that the Nepali people are capable of deciding their destiny, a major departure of her Nepal policy". As democracy in Nepal deepens, said Mr. Oli, the country would develop a "people-centred and result-oriented" foreign policy. In particular, he said,

"Nepal-India relations "will have little chance to fall prey to the whims of any irrational actor", a reference to King Gyanendra. "Foreign policy in a pluralistic Nepal will no longer remain a monopoly of a handful of ruling elites".

Mr. Oli noted that "some people tend to argue that the Government has given too many concessions to the Maoists without securing their firm commitment to the multiparty political process". While acknowledging that this argument "holds some truth" given the continuation of extortion by Maoists, Mr. Oli expressed the hope that such activities would be stopped once the peace process reached its logical conclusion.

"We have given a commitment to having an interim government with the Maoists with the aim of stopping all these activities", he said.

Once the process of UN-supervised arms management of the Maoist army and Nepal Army was completed and the Maoists joined the government, "law and order will be enforced", said Mr. Oli.

The Nepali DPM said the successful resolution of the Maoist conflict in Nepal through peaceful means "will have a salutary impact on regional peace and security." Not only would it persuade other insurgent outfits to seek a peaceful way out of their conflict but also the "government could also learn lessons from Nepal in their quest for conflict resolution in their countries."

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