Nepal government rebels sign peace deal to end decadelong conflict

>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=TQ7Os0eiR0k

(22 Nov 2006) SHOTLIST • 1. Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist rebel leader Prachanda arrive on stage at the Birendra International Convention Centre for the signing of the accord • 2. Koirala, left, seated beside Prachanda (right) surrounded by other leaders from the ruling parties • 3. Koirala and Prachanda signing the peace accord • 4. Officials at the signing ceremony including the chief of the Nepal's Army Rukman Katwal • 5. SOUNDBITE (Nepali) Girija Prasad Koirala, Nepali Prime Minister: • This marks a new history in Nepal. Nepal has entered a new era and this deal has opened the doors for a permanent peace. • 6. Officials, dignitaries and diplomats at the signing ceremony, applauding • 7. SOUNDBITE (Nepali) Prachanda, Maoist rebel leader: • This formally ends the civil war in the country which lasted for more than 10 years. • 8. Wide of leaders from the ruling political parties listening • 9. Prachanda talking to Koirala • 10. Wide of the convention hall where the signing took place • STORYLINE • Nepal's government and communist rebels signed a peace deal on Tuesday, formally ending a 10-year insurgency that left 13,000 people dead. • The deal paves the way for the one-time guerrillas to join an interim government. • Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist rebel leader Prachanda signed the accord at a Kathmandu convention hall packed with cheering officials, dignitaries and foreign diplomats. • Prachanda, who goes by a single name, declared that the accord ends the more than one decade of civil war in the country. • During the war, the Maoists took control of wide swaths of this Himalayan country best known as a magnet for Westerners in search of Eastern spirituality and mountain climbers looking to scale peaks - including the world's highest, Mount Everest. • The rebels built schools, set about breaking down Hindu caste barriers and aided poor farmers, many of whom still live in near-feudal conditions. • But the Maoists were also known for their rigid communist orthodoxy and a puritanical streak, and for murderously enforcing their will on opponents. • On Tuesday, the focus was on cementing a lasting peace. • Nepal has entered a new era and this deal has opened the door for a permanent peace, Koirala said. • The accord came a day after a government commission blamed the royal dictatorship of King Gyanendra for the brutal crackdown on the April protests that left 19 people dead, and recommended he be punished. • The rebels agreed on November 8 to confine their fighters to seven camps and lock up their weapons under UN supervision. • Under Tuesday's deal, the rebels are to join the interim parliament by November 26 and will get 73 of the chamber's 330 seats. • Koirala's Nepali Congress will remain the biggest party with 85 seats, and the Maoists will share second place with Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist). • The rest of the seats will be held by other smaller parties. • • Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork • Twitter: / ap_archive • Facebook: / aparchives • Instagram: / apnews • • • You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...

#############################

New on site