PM forms cabinet, Maoists stay out

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Feb 11: With the CPN-UML declining to leave the home ministry to them and own up to the seven-point secret agreement, the Maoists on Thursday decided to stay out of the government. The door for talks on the Maoists joining the government remains open, but the stand-off between the two parties is likely to linger.

Newly-elected Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal appointed three new cabinet ministers Thursday without naming their portfolios, and this was meant to keep the option of talks with the Maoists open.

Sources say Khanal formed the cabinet Thursday as he has remained alone in the cabinet for a week and also because he was to table bills to prevent a possible freezing of the budget. “The party will hold talks with the Maoists and try to settle the disputes,” said UML leader Rabindra Adhikary, who is close to Khanal.

Door for talks still open: Shrestha

Similarly, Maoist leader Narayankaji Shrestha said that the party is still ready for talks with the UML and how politics unfolds depends on the ruling party´s move.

“Everything depends on the UML´s move, on whether the party calls us for talks to implement the agreement,” Shrestha said.

Earlier, speaking at parliament, Shrestha asked the UML to adhere sincerely to the spirit of the so-called seven-point agreement to retain Maoist support for the government.

“The UML should not take our support for granted. We will look closely at the government´s activities. If the party becomes a pawn in conspiracy, we will be forced to take harsh decisions,” he said.

Maoist no to killing deal´s spirit

The Maoist vice-chairman stated that his party was compelled to opt out of government as the UML had pushed hard to amend the seven-point agreement. “We won´t agree to killing the spirit of the deal in the name of amending the language,” he said. The UML had stated that the party could not officially own up to the deal without amending some provisions in the agreement document.

According to Shrestha, his party decided to back Khanal for prime minister for three reasons: 1) Nepalis are sovereign and they can exercise sovereignty without foreign intervention; 2) to prepare a model for integration/rehabilitation of Maoist combatants; 3) to draft an anti-imperialist, anti-expansionist constitution.

He claimed that creation of a separate state force out of Maoist combatants was not against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), and argued that his party was not for any polarization between leftist and rightist forces, but between those for national sovereignty and those against.