# 15 3 - 9 November 2000 20 pages Rs 20 CURRENT NEPALI TIMES FREE MOUNTAIN FLIGHT READERSHIP PANORAMA 10-11 Llamas in the Himalaya 19 Himalayan Kings 2 Kathmandu shopping guide 9 From the Nepali Press 6 Sports: Sanat Jayasuriya 17 Economic Sense 8 Under My Hat 20 EXCLUSIVE RAJENDRA DAHAL ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○hey joked, they drank tea and Mobile licence T they shared biscuits. Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra The Khetan Group and India’s Poudel was in a relaxed Tihar mood. PEACE KEEPERS Modi Telestra won the financial He quipped that he used to be the bidding for a mobile phone leader of a communist student union. Rapid progress in informal talks, both licence on Wednesday. The Across the sofa, the Maoists sides negotiate in good faith, team offered Rs 24.11 billion for Kathmandu commander, Rabindra government promptly meets Maoist the entire package, which Shrestha slapped his knee and laughed demands, and a ceasefire is agreed includes licence and renewal fees out loud, saying: How strange, I used upon. and a four percent royalty. The one- to be with the Nepal Students Union Maoists come up with demand for safe time licence fee offer was Rs 210 (the students wing of the Nepali passage, there is prolonged haggling million, and the renewal charge— Congress)! The maverick activist and over agenda for official talks. Partisan payable once after 10 years and career-mediator, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, interests try to prevent agreement. then every five years for up to 25 who brought the two men together for Government and Maoists get dragged years was Rs 20 billion. The four the first ever face-to-face talks between a into a propaganda war, Congress percent royalty payable comes to government minister and the Maoists, infighting gets worse, Maoists refuse Rs 3.9 billion. At a 12 percent poured more tea and sat back to let the talks, attacks on police resume. discount rate, the net present value two sides size each other up. The All talks deadlocked, government SUBHAS RAI of the offer made by the top bidder bonhomie helped. After two hours of refuses to release detainees, Maoists comes to a whopping Rs 9.27 talks, a beaming Tuladhar dropped launch nationwide attacks, billion, which rival participants at Poudel off at the Ministers residential paramilitary force is armed, army is the bidding said was a quarters in Pulchowk in a sleek metallic deployed fully. Nation heads towards “stupendous” sum. Now, all we beige Corolla sedan. So, they dont look civil war. want to know is this: will mobile like monsters, do they? Tuladhar asked Prachandas latest deadline for the phones become cheaper next Poudel in the car. The Deputy Prime government to meet its pre-conditions, a year? Minister agreed. response to the killing of three rebels in A week later, both the government Kalikot district after the Poudel-Shrestha and the Maoists seem to have sensed the meeting, expires today (Friday). And Radisson shares overwhelming wish among the Nepali from what we know of these conditions, action, and we hear even lobbying with is the people who will keep them there. people that this fragile beginning for talks they are not insurmountable. The The Oriental Hotels Limited has foreign embassies to get himself reinstated So far, the gun has taken precedence over should succeed. After nearly over 1,600 government should have no problem allocated over 30,000 shares to in the peace committee. In an interview hearts and minds. The Maoists may have deaths, mayhem, destruction and bad acceding to them, and it must understand applicants collecting what would in September (# 9) Deuba told us it won many battles, but they havent yet blood, public opinion is against more that if he does not produce results amount to Rs 150 million. An didnt really matter who talked to the won the public opinion war. Dunai, for violence. Even Maoist leader Comrade Prachanda will be under internal pressure investigation on the entire public Maoists, since the credit would go to the instance, may have been a tactical victory, Prachanda said in his 28 October from the Maoists themselves. At the talks issue reveals many questions that party. It is time for him, in the nations but it was a strategic turning point. It statement that his movement was on 27 October when Rabindra Shrestha are still unanswered. Financial interest, to show the same magnanimity overturned many givens: it galvanised responding to the peoples wish for reiterated the demand that Maoist leader analysts say the July sale of now towards Poudel. Because if the government resolve to partially deploy the dialogue. This perhaps is the reason why Dinesh Sharma be released, Ram shares, which was over-subscribed government and the party do not end army; the prime minister and king were the positive vibes from last Fridays talks Chandra Poudel is reported to have seven times took place without their bickering soon and sit down to forced to clarify each others positions; were so palpable, and the politicians exclaimed in English: Done! complete financial disclosures. The prepare for talks they could end up and the present talks got their impetus. made sure it got maximum coverage. In Poudels goal at the talks was to assess Security Exchange Board which helping the Maoists re-justify calling off Whatever may be Prachandas reason fact, it all seemed too good to be true. if the Maoists were genuine. Talks could regulates the stock market, says it talks and going back to war. to come to the table, the government has To be sure, the road ahead is bumpy. be a Maoist ploy to buy time, impress the has done its best to protect What is intriguing is why the Maoists, no alternative but to negotiate. The But peace talks will be more difficult the domestic public, donors, and the shareholder interest. The issue who are winning the psychological, Maoists have shown their flexibility by longer the conflict drags on. As we have international community that they are manager is also confident the issue military and information battle against removing some of their early pre- seen from mediation processes in reasonable revolutionaries. Poudel appears has benefitted both the hotel and the government, agreed to talks at this conditions, successfully throwing the ball Northern Ireland, from the Israel- to have been persuaded that they were the shareholders. …………..pg 4-5 point. After all, as an ideologically- in the governments court. The ruling Palestinian conflict, or Sri Lanka, violence genuine. The Maoists, for their part, motivated guerrilla force with a long-term party needs to show has an in-built mechanism for escalation inquired after the fate of Sher Bahadur plan for the capture of state power, time is similar adaptability. Editorial Congress at arms at its own inexorable momentum. If it Deubas committee, and asked that the on their side. They dont lose much by That is why these page 2 goes on long enough there will be enough government appoint an official talking, they can go back to jungle any things are called Just as you expected, the Nepali people who profit and benefit from it, negotiator. Its funny the Maoists should moment by saying the government is not negotiations: you give as well as take. Congress infighting is not over. It and who will not want it to end. The ask that, since the ruling party should serious about meeting their demands. The Maoists have not yet declared heated up again with dissident Sher Maoist insurgency in Nepal has not yet have done at without anyone asking. But And these are demands we dont really that the talks are a substitute to the war, Bahadur Deuba dashing off a stiff reached that stage, and we are at a point we all know what the problem is: it is the know much about anyway: is Dinesh nor have they shown signs that they have statement accusing the Koirala in time when domestic public opinion, Nepali Congress chronic infighting. Sharma just a red herring, or are there slowed mobilisation. What the camp of not keeping its word on the the debate over the armys role, the Koirala and Deuba cant stand each other, more serious hidden demands about government needs to do is to hold on to vexing party membership issue. All constructive role played by the Royal and there is factional competition to take constitutional changes? We may finally the Maoists expressed desire to come to this, and the cabinet reshuffle, is Palace and international pressure have all credit from future peace talks. know, for instance, if the Maoists really talks and create the conditions where they distracting the ruling party’s converged to prepare the ground for talks. Ram Chandra Poudel seems to be an want to abolish the monarchy and turn will keep talking. Otherwise the blame for attention from the much more This window of opportunity will not last. acceptable compromise, and he will need Nepal into a peoples republic. failure will be laid squarely on the feckless important recent question of As things stand, there are four basic to be given the space and the mandate by In the end, even the Maoists need to ruling party, and the inability of its resolving the Maoist issue through scenarios of where things can go from his party to negotiate. Deuba, meanwhile, gauge public opinion. Political power leaders to look beyond the tip of their dialogue. here in a good to bad sequence: has been sulking and taking rearguard may come out of a barrel of a gun, but it noses. t Special Offer Get NPR 968/- (15 hrs.) worth of Internet surfing CD FREE with every one year 543337 subscription of Nepali Times.