Nepal govt to release jailed Maoists

Kathmandu: Nepal's new government will release jailed communist rebels as part of efforts to forge a lasting peace in the Himalayan country's decade-old insurgency, a top official said Friday.

"The road to peace is a difficult one and a complex one," Home Minister Krishna Sitaula told Parliament.

"The government has decided to initiate processes to release Maoists being held in jail."

The announcement came a day after the rebels agreed to the government's call for peace talks to end an insurgency that has killed 13,000 people.

The Cabinet also matched the rebels' declaration of a three-month cease-fire, and dropped terrorism charges against rebel leaders.

The government gave no time frame on how soon the hundreds of detained insurgents would be released, but the required legal proceedings usually take a few days to a few weeks.

The rebels joined forces with a seven-party alliance in playing a key role in the demonstrations that forced King Gyanendra to yield control of the government last week.

They now appear to be headed for life in the political mainstream.

The new government already has met the key rebel demand that crippled peace talks in 2001 and 2003 by committing to rewrite the constitution.

In agreeing to talks, the Maoists said the time is ripe, calling the protests a "historic movement".

The Cabinet on Friday established a special commission, headed by a former Supreme Court judge, to investigate alleged abuses by security forces during the protests, when at least 17 demonstrators were killed.

Part of the commission's mandate includes determining who gave the orders to open fire on crowds with live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas.

The new Cabinet's actions have boosted hope among Nepalis that the country can achieve stability and better living standards for its poverty-ridden populace, but the government still faces a number of pressing issues that include kick-starting the ailing economy.

"Nepal now needs some financial support for the immediate effort but not long-term projects," Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said Friday.

"We need some support to get the country back to its feet, get the country rolling again."

Some good news came when Norwegian Development Cooperation Minister Erik Solheim announced that his country was restoring its annual US $25 million aid package for Nepal.

"We have decided to immediately restore aid to this level to show immediate support to this new government and their peace effort with the Maoists," said Solheim, who arrived Tuesday to assess the situation after three weeks of protests that forced the king to relinquish power.

Solheim, who has been acting as a peace negotiator in Sri Lanka, met with the ambassadors of India, China, the United States, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other nations.

"The general feeling is everyone is supportive and encouraged by the people's power," he said, adding that the international community wants to do what it can to aid the peace process.