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Pushpa Adhikari in Kathmandu
The first formal talks between the Nepalese government and Maoist rebels ended on Thursday, with both sides seeing them as a favourable beginning.
In a joint statement issued after the talks, both sides expressed satisfaction at the outcome and confirmed that the next round would be held within two weeks.
The airing of views, the statement said, had led to a good start to finding a way to end the six-year-old insurgency that has claimed nearly 2,000 lives.
"Both sides put forward the issues of their concern in the talks and the talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. Both sides have agreed to stop violence of any means during the talks," the statement said.
"In the talks, the Maoist side put forward their earlier demand of an interim government, a new constitution and a republic, but today's meeting was just the first round and both sides listened to each other," a member of the ruling Nepali Congress party present at the meeting said.
A three-member team headed by Krishna Bahadur Mahara represented the Maoists. The government team was lead by Minister for Physical Planning Chiranjiwi Wagle.
After the government assured them safe passage to hold the first round of negotiations last week, the three -- Mahara, Agni Sapkota and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi -- had surfaced from their hideouts at a public meeting in Panga on Tuesday.
Addressing the rally, Mahara had said his 'party' would not succumb to pressure and rubbish public expectations.
He said, "An interim government, a new constitution and a republic are our main demands. We will not compromise on them. The negotiation is the result of public action. We will continue the insurgency if the talks fail."
The government and other communists, including the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, have, meanwhile, said that the Maoist demand for a republic in Nepal, a country with a strong monarchical tradition, will have a destabilising effect.
The ruling Nepali Congress, in its Central Working Committee meeting earlier this month, had unanimously given a full mandate to Deuba to hold talks with the Maoists to find an end to the insurgency.
Indo-Asian News Service
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