Nepal's ultra-leftist rebels Thursday declared a three-month
unilateral ceasefire with immediate effect.
"Our party once again, through this statement, announces a
unilateral ceasefire for three months with immediate effect," rebel
leader Prachanda said in a press statement.
The statement added that the rebels "will not carry out any
offensive military action during this period and will remain
defensive."
The rebel statement made it clear that the ceasefire is for
three months only and "with the intention to encourage the
political parties to announce an unconditional special
assembly."
The rebels had announced a similar truce in September last year
and later extended it by a month.
The latest ceasefire follows Prachanda's announcement that the
rebels would end their blockade of the capital, heeding a call from
Nepali Congress Party President Girija Prasad Koirala, the
opposition alliance's candidate for the post of prime minister.
Koirala has been appointed as the Prime Minister of the next
Nepali government by King Gyanendra Thursday.
The meeting of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Committee
welcomed the unilateral cease-fire announcement and concluded that
the government to be formed should reciprocate it.
Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the Communist Party of
Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), the second-largest party in the
alliance, also welcomed the announcement, and said the incoming
government would likely join the truce.
(China Daily April 28, 2006)
