News update from Nepal, 12 March 2007 News Update from Nepal 12 March 2007 The growing distrust between the Seven-Party Alliance(SPA) and CPN(Maoist) has an impact on the condition of security in the countryside affecting both the Constituent As­sembly(CA) elections in mid-June and the implementation of the peace accord. On Feb­ruary 27, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Nepal, Ian Martin, warned that CA elections will“have to be postponed unless some form of consensus is reached on an electoral arrangement between the eight parties.” He also stated the dis­crepancy between 30,852 combatants but only 3,428 weapons registered to the UN by the CPN(Maoist), the failure of the state to contain violence and to include marginalized groups in the peace process, and the February 21 incident when 2100 Maoist combatants came out of cantonment in Chitwan and were engaged in road construction due to the lack of funds to support their livelihoods. The UN Mission in Nepal said that it is a breach of the pact. India has beefed up security on the border and asked the Nepali government to become alert of the infiltrators. King Gyanendra’s defense(February 18) of his February 1, 2005 putsch and assumption of moral responsibility for any success or failure of his rule sharply evoked the ruling poli­ticians’ fear. The king said he reinstated the House of Representatives on April 24, 2006 with the confidence that the nation would forge ahead on the path of national unity and prosperity while ensuring permanent peace and democracy. He added,“Nepal is a kalei­doscope of diverse people- be they indigenous, Dalits or those living in the villages, cities or Tarai(southern part of the country), hills or the mountainous regions. Nepal’s sover­eignty and integrity remains safeguarded only because all have accepted and abided by this reality.” The Parliament passed a motion dubbing the king’s statement“unauthorized, unconstitutional and undemocratic.” The CPN(Maoist) declared that the king should be removed immediately. Due to the growing political protest against the Interim Constitution(IC) by societal forces, the government registered a draft bill at the Parliament secretariat(Feb. 18), seeking ap­proval of a federal state and proportional representation in all state structures as de­manded by the Madhesis(people of Tarai) and ethnic groups. The other measures are the provision of the leader of the opposition in the IC, the nomination of 16 people in the CA, restructuring of some constituencies in Tarai and hills, provision of a vote of no­confidence against the Premier, etc. On February 25, the government also tabled the CA Court Bill 2007 to settle the disputes related to the elections. Ethno-Territorial Agitation Premier G.P. Koirala’s appeal to all protesting groups- Madhesi, Janajatis(ethnic) and Dalits(untouchables) to stop strikes(bandhas) and join the negotiations had little conse­quence. On February 1, Maoist Chairman Prachanda argued that Premier Koirala’s state­ment was“incomplete”. He supported the demands of Tarai and apologized for the killing 1