Nepal parties agree on Maoist issue

Nepal's political parties, in a long-awaited breakthrough in the peace process, reached consensus on the integration and rehabilitation of former Maoist rebels. The issue has been a main hurdle in moving the peace process forward and had been blamed for years of political turmoil in the Himalayan republic, which until 2006 had been a Hindu kingdom. The consensus was reached after hectic talks Tuesday, Nepalnews.com reported. The Maoists had led a decade-long rebellion before agreeing to a peace process in 2006. Since then, their United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has been demanding the integration and rehabilitation of the former rebels into the Nepalese military and security forces, which other political parties had opposed. The Maoist party holds the largest number of seats in Parliament since the 2008 elections but does not have a majority. Under the consensus agreement, signed by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other leaders, 6,500 of the former Maoists will be integrated into a separate directorate of the Nepalese Army to look after development projects and rescue work, Nepalnews reported. The rest of the 19,000 rebels, seeking rehabilitation, will be entitled to monetary compensation. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland welcomed the agreement, which calls for completing a draft constitution by Nov. 30, the next hurdle in the peace process. The deadline has been extended several times in recent years. "We encourage all those involved to implement these agreements," Nuland said in a statement. "The United States remains committed to supporting the ongoing peace process as appropriate." She said the consensus is a crucial step toward ensuring a democratic, stable, and prosperous future for Nepal. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, a Maoist, was elected in September.