`King's initiative must to resolve crisis'


BY SURENDRA PHUYAL

NEW DELHI, Oct 1 - The six-member Indian political delegation has
assessed that the three sides in Nepal's triangular conflict -
political parties, monarchy and rebel Maoists - are important for
the country's peace and stability, and King Gyanendra should manage
the worsening political crisis the same way his brother, late King
Birendra, did in the spring of 1990.
Reliable sources said the Indian delegation, which returned to New
Delhi Nationalist Congress Party leader D P Tripathi from a three-
day Nepal visit came to the conclusion. The leader of the
delegation, politburo member of Communist Party of India (Marxist),
Sitaram Yechuri, will submit a report Sunday to Indian Prime
Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

The eight-page report, being finalized Saturday afternoon - key
contents of which was disclosed to the Post, calls on the monarch to
work toward piecing together an inclusive multiparty government to
find an exit from the crisis. Such a government should also have
representation from the outlawed Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist),
the report suggests.

In the entire process, "the influential southern neighbor, India -
rather than seeking to play any role in the crisis - should try to
diplomatically facilitate such a crisis management, which would be
possible after Nepal's transition to multiparty democracy," a source
involved in preparing the report told the Post Saturday.

He added, "Peace is the need of the hour in Nepal, and that's not
possible without democracy, for which there seems to be an
overwhelming demand from all quarters…So, the sooner the monarch
starts working to make that happen, the sooner the conflict can be
resolved."

Other leaders in the delegation, were veteran socialist leader
Surendra Mohan, CPI leader D Raja, Congress leader Chandra Shekhar
Sahu, and Samajvadi party leader Dr Sunilam. The six parties are
members of the 14-party Nepal Democracy Solidarity Committee, which
was formed last February 4.