Comprehensive Peace Accord signed, Armed Insurgency declared officially over

Ten years and over 13,000 lives later, the armed insurgency in Nepal has finally been declared officially over.
In a historic ceremony held at the Birendra International Convention Center this evening, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist chairman Prachanda signed the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) 2006 bringing the decade-long armed insurgency to an end and promising to chart a new destiny for "peaceful and democratic" new Nepal.

Inclusive of provisions on human rights, civil and political rights, arms and army management, socio-economic transformation, among others, the ten-point CPA was signed this evening in the presence of ministers, political party leaders, Maoist leaders, foreign diplomats, MPs, government officials and media representatives.

The preamble of the CPA reiterates the commitment of the two parties – the government and the Maoists – to abide by the previous agreements and commitments and desires of the people.
"Beginning today, the politics of killing, violence and terror will be replaced by the politics of reconciliation," declared the 85-year-old PM Koirala who said he had put his entire political career at risk by venturing on this path of peace and democracy. "Being a democrat, I wanted to bring non-democrats into the framework of democracy. I was warned by many friends about the hazards of dealing with terrorists but I thought that bringing all under democratic framework was the duty of a democrat."

PM Koirala said, "We all are entering into a new era from today. All of us Nepalis must come together to build a new Nepal." He added that Nepal will, henceforth, be regarded as a model in conflict resolution by other conflict-torn countries around the world.
Prachanda stated that with the signing of the CPA, people of Nepal were in a position to give message to the entire world. "The continuity of 238-year-old tradition has been broken now. This is the victory of Nepalese people and the loss of regressive elements," he said.

Prachanda said that like in the war, his party would work with equal zeal to implement the peace accord. "We have no prejudices against anyone. We want to make it clear to everyone that we are neither conservative nor dogmatic in our thinking," he said, adding that people of Nepal will "perform another miracle" by working on a war-footing to develop their nation after the elections of Constituent Assembly. He termed the successful struggle of the people of Nepal as the first miracle of the 21 st century.
Earlier, Home Minister and coordinator of government talks team Krishna Sitaula narrated the CPA before the audience.

By making the ceasefire permanent, the accord declares the armed insurgency that began since February, 1996 as officially over. Effective immediately, the CPA states that illegal carrying of weapons, their display and any kind of attack, threat, intimidation would, henceforth, be punishable by law.
Reiterating the commitment to hold the elections of CA by mid-June, 2007, the CPA prohibits all kinds of illegal use of weapons, raid, ambush, mining, aerial attack, abduction, etc. Within 30 days both the sides will share information regarding the placement of mines and within 60 days they all would be disabled, it states.
The CPA also talks about rehabilitation of conflict victims. It vows to form a high-level Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate about human rights abuses. It has a provision guaranteeing free passage of civil servants, UN, I/NGO workers across the country.

The accord has separate provisions dealing with civil and political rights and rights of women and children.
On the issue of implementation and monitoring, the accord states that the UN will be allowed to continue its monitoring of human rights. Likewise, the UN team will be asked to verify and monitor arms and army management, which will be as per the November 8 agreement. It also states that the UN will be asked to observe the CA polls as well.

The CPA also declares that henceforth no parallel institution will exist in the country – which means the Maoists' People's Court, People's Government, parallel tax collection and similar other parallel outfits will cease to function. This effectively ends the existence of two regimes – which the Maoist leaders have often pointed out to justify their extortion, justice dispensation and similar other activities - within the country.
The CPA further states that after the formation of interim parliament and promulgation of interim constitution, the "two parties" will cease to exist and the sole responsibility of implementing the agreements, including the CPA will fall under the shoulder of interim cabinet.

The CPA signing ceremony was attended by an impressive corps of diplomats including ambassadors of India, China, and the United States. PM Koirala and Prachanda were flanked by top leaders of the seven parties on either side. Ministers, Maoist leaders, talks team members and observers were seated in second and third row. Ian Martin, the Personal Representative of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, was also invited to the dias. Audience included government officials, MPs, journalists, and civil society leaders.

Meanwhile, a statement from the US Embassy in Kathmandu a short while later, welcoming the peace accord said, "The US Embassy welcomes the announcement of a comprehensive peace agreement between the Government of Nepal and the Maoists. We hope this step will place Nepal on the path of lasting peace and democracy. We want the peace process to work and we pledge our full support. We support an agreement that safeguards the aspirations of the Nepali people."
The statement further states, "This means violence, intimidation, and criminal acts -- such as forced recruitment of cadre and extortion -- must end. The Nepali people, who have lived in fear for 11 years, deserve a chance to live without fear and choose their form of government in fair elections."
"The United States is committed to help Nepal build a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future for its people," the statement said.
Following the US statement, a statement by Ian Martin in Nepal, Personal Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Nepal said, "It is a privilege to have been present at the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, marking another key step forward in the peace process. When Secretary-General Kofi Annan heartily welcomed the agreement of 8 November between the Seven Party Alliance and the CPN-M, he called it a historic opportunity for the people of Nepal to end the armed conflict and to build sustainable peace within an inclusive and democratic state. Now today's Agreement promises to convert the ceasefire into long-term peace. Those involved on both sides are to be congratulated for their hard work in finalising an Agreement which is entirely a Nepali achievement.”

"The Secretary-General has said that he intends to move promptly to respond to the request to the United Nations to help in key areas of the peace process. I am pleased to say that my Office is working in an excellent spirit of collaboration with the Government and the CPN-M on these areas, and today we have completed agreement on the locations of seven divisional PLA cantonment sites. With the Comprehensive Peace Agreement now signed, I hope that we will quickly be able to reach tripartite agreement on the full modalities for the management of arms and armies, clarifying essential details regarding confinement to cantonments and restriction to barracks, weapons storage, permitted and prohibited activities, and monitoring arrangements. The United Nations will then be able to move forward with its planning to deploy monitors and other personnel. I also look forward to discussing how the United Nations' role in the other areas requested, of human rights monitoring, assisting independent national monitoring, and electoral assistance and monitoring, can help to create the climate of multi-party democracy and pluralism throughout the districts and villages of Nepal which is essential for the free and fair Constituent Assembly election to which the parties have committed themselves," the statement further reads.

In yet another quick reaction, a statement by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu said, “The Government of India welcomes the signing of the Comprehensive National Peace Agreement between the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). We believe the Agreement reflects the overwhelming desire of the people of Nepal for peace and stability.”The statement reads further, “We hope that this Agreement brings to an end the politics and culture of violence, and heralds the beginning of a lasting peace in order to let the people of Nepal exercise their right to decide their destiny through free and fair elections, without intimidation.”“The critical test of this Agreement will be its implementation on the ground. We call upon all sides and all stakeholders in Nepal to strictly abide by their commitments under this Agreement. Violations must be dealt with under the laws of the land, and full cooperation extended to those empowered to supervise the steps ahead, such as the police, the Election Commission, and the UN. The people’s mandate, and their trust, must not be betrayed,” the statement said.“India stands ready to continue to help in every way, to ensure that this historic opportunity is not lost,” the statement said.