'India's help not needed to hold dialogue with Terai groups'

Shirish B. Pradhan

Kathmandu, Oct 31(PTI) Maoists-led Nepalese government
Friday said that it has established contacts with the armed
groups in Terai and did not need any help from India to sort
out the issue.

"We don't need any help from India or third country to
hold dialogue with the armed groups in Terai," Minister for
Peace and Reconstruction and former deputy Commander of the
Maoists' People's Liberation Army Janardan Sharma said Friday.

Sharma said the government has established contacts
with various armed groups of Terai and they have responded
positively to government's call for dialogue.

"We are getting support and goodwill from
international community including India, China and U.S.A. to
move ahead the peace process but can do on our own to initiate
dialogue with the armed outfits," he said.

Sharma also said that the process of integrating and
rehabilitating the Maoists' combatants will begin soon.

Talking to reporters here, he denied the allegations
by the main opposition Nepali Congress that the Maoist-led
government formed the five member Special Committee for Army
Integration without consulting with the opposition parties.

After Nepali Congress and Communist Party of
Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (C.P.N.-U.M.L.) raised
objection to Maoists' heading the Special Committee, we
sacrificed the leadership of the committee and C.P.N.-U.M.L.
leader and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam was made its convener,
he said.

Nepali Congress is now raising objection that the
Maoists are provided with two seats in the five member
committed saying that it should get equal strength as compared
to the Maoists.

The committee headed by Gautam includes one each
member from Nepali Congress and Madhesi People's Forum and two
from C.P.N.-Maoist.

Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal' and Peace
Minister Sharma both are its members. The Nepali Congress has
declined to send its representative to the Special Committee,
citing Maoists' high handedness.

Sharma said that he was confident that the Nepali
Congress will join the Special Committee as it was one of the
leading forces that initiated the peace process.

He said before the Special Committee begins its works,
the government will form the committee to find out status of
disappeared people and reconciliation committee that would
help in resolve past issues relating to disappeared persons
and serious human rights violations.

The government will formulate a national defence
policy under which the Maoists' combatants will be integrated
and rehabilitated as per the requirement, he said.

Sharma also said that the government aims to complete
the management of the Maoists' combatants within six month
period.