Sorry BRTD - they aren't rebels anymore, so they probably don't turn you on so much.
http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=168565Nepal celebrates peace deal between government, rebelsWednesday, November 22, 2006 - Updated: 08:19 AM EST
KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepal celebrated the end of a bloody 10-year communist insurgency by declaring Wednesday a public holiday, and the international community hailed the deal under which communist rebels will join an interim government.
Schools, offices and businesses were closed, and thousands took to the streets in celebratory rallies around the Himalayan nation.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist rebel leader Prachanda signed the accord Tuesday at a Katmandu convention hall packed with cheering officials, dignitaries and foreign diplomats.
The agreement came after months of negotiations that centered on how to disarm the insurgents and bring them into the government, which they helped bring to power by backing mass protests in April of the dictatorship of King Gyanendra.
“This ends the more than one decade of civil war in the country,” declared Prachanda, who goes by a single name. “We will now turn to a campaign of peace and building a new Nepal.”
Small rallies in support of the accord were held Wednesday morning, with more expected throughout the day.
“The government has declared it a national day of celebration,” said Tourism Minister Pradeep Gyawali, a member of the government negotiating team.
In the capital of Katmandu, thousands gathered in the heart of the city, waving banners and chanting slogans in celebration.
“Victory is ours! Long live people’s democracy and peaceful Nepal!” chanted the participants.
In the southern city of Bharatpur, hundreds gathered and chanted, “Let there be permanent peace! No more autocracy! No more dictatorship!”
There were reports of similar rallies elsewhere in the country.
The United Nations, which will provide monitors at camps being set up under the deal where rebel fighters and their weapons will be locked up, said the accord was a key step forward in the peace process.
“(The) agreement promises to convert the cease-fire into long-term peace,” said U.N. representative in Nepal Ian Martin.
The U.S. Embassy in Nepal said it hoped the accord would place Nepal “on the path of lasting peace and democracy.”
“We want the peace process to work and we pledge our full support. We support an agreement that safeguards the aspirations of the Nepali people,” the embassy said.
Neighboring India said it believes the agreement reflects the overwhelming desire of the Nepalese people for peace and stability.
“We hope that this agreement brings to an end the politics and culture of violence, and heralds the beginning of a lasting peace in order to let the people of Nepal exercise their right to decide their destiny through free and fair elections, without intimidation,” said a statement from India’s foreign ministry.
In London, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Britain applauded the commitment of the people of Nepal to build a stable and peaceful future.
“We now look to both sides to make the agreement a reality throughout Nepal,” Beckett said.
More than 13,000 people were killed before a cease-fire was declared in April following the weeks of mass pro-democracy protests that forced Gyanendra to restore Parliament, which he had usurped 14 months earlier.
The accord came a day after a government commission blamed Gyanendra for the brutal crackdown on the April protests that left 19 people dead, and recommended he be punished.
Under the deal, the rebels will join the interim parliament by Nov. 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 the Communist Party of Nepal. The rest of the seats will be held by smaller parties.
The rebels’ large number of seats is sure to give them a significant role in a new interim government, which is to be in place by Dec. 1. Officials were still working out the details of how the administration would be set up.
Gyanendra seized power in February 2005, saying he would bring order to a chaotic and corrupt political scene and quell the Maoist insurgency.
Since restoring Parliament, Gyanendra has been stripped of his powers, command over the army, and his immunity from prosecution.
