Nepal's Premier, Rebel Leader Declare End to Civil War

KATHMANDU, Nepal, Nov. 21 -- Nepal's government and Maoist rebels declared a formal end Tuesday to a decade-old civil war that killed about 13,000 people in one of the world's poorest countries.

Nepalis lit candles outside their doors in the capital, Kathmandu, to celebrate after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist rebel leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, known as Prachanda, signed a deal to end the conflict. The accord came seven months after King Gyanendra returned power to the country's main political parties following weeks of often violent street protests.

"The government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) have agreed to convert the ongoing cease-fire into a permanent truce and declare that the war which began in Feb. 1996 is over," said the accord, written in Nepali.

The deal provides for the insurgents to hand over their arms and be confined to U.N.-monitored camps in the run-up to elections for an assembly that will draft a new constitution and decide the future of the monarchy.

It also clears the way for the insurgents to join an interim government that will oversee the elections, and for rebels to take seats with elected politicians in an interim parliament.

The rebels have been fighting to abolish Nepal's more than 200-year-old monarchy and say the right to vote in the assembly satisfies their key demand. They have promised to honor the outcome even if the assembly decides to maintain a ceremonial monarch.

The rebels and government have observed a cease-fire for more than six months, but human rights groups say extortion and conscription by the rebels have continued or even accelerated.

On Tuesday, both sides renewed a commitment to uphold human rights, respect international humanitarian laws and end extortion, intimidation, kidnapping and disappearances.

"This is a day of victory for Nepal and its people's aspirations for change, and a day of defeat for those who wanted to exploit the people," Prachanda said after signing the accord at a convention center in Kathmandu.

"Nepal, despite being a small and poor country, has shown how it can provide a new message to the world by solving the conflict through dialogue," said the guerrilla chief, who emerged from years of hiding in June.

"We are not dogmatic communists and we are prepared to change and debate our beliefs with anybody," he said.

Koirala echoed those views and urged Nepal's historically divided political parties and the rebels to put aside their differences and join forces to develop the Himalayan country. "From today, the politics of killings, violence and terror is over and we all have now started the politics of reconciliation," said the 85-year-old prime minister, dressed in a traditional Nepali jacket and cap.

As they talked, the two leaders were frequently cheered by hundreds of supporters, including Maoists, packed in the balcony of the hall along with diplomats, businessmen, politicians and the news media. The event was also telecast live across the country.