Ex-communist rebels agree to rejoin Nepal's government
KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's former communist rebels agreed yesterday to rejoin the government, officials said, signaling an end to a political crisis that led to the indefinite postponement of elections. The pact will also abolish Nepal's monarchy.
KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal's former communist rebels agreed yesterday to rejoin the government, officials said, signaling an end to a political crisis that led to the indefinite postponement of elections. The pact will also abolish Nepal's monarchy.
No date has been set for the ex-rebels, usually referred to as Maoists, to rejoin the government. They left in September, demanding the immediate abolition of the monarchy and changes to the election system.
An agreement for them to rejoin has been signed, however, by leaders of the seven main political parties - including the Maoists - said Arjun Narsingh of Nepali Congress, the Himalayan country's largest party.
The 23-point pact said the leaders also agreed that once a constituent assembly is elected by mid-April, its first meeting will declare Nepal a republic state and end its centuries-old monarchy. That change had been widely expected for months.