By inking the accord, the Maoists have agreed to renounce violence and confine weapons and cadres in designated cantonments under UN supervision while the two sides prepare for elections to the constituent assembly by June 2007.

Today’s accord at the summit level involved eight parties, including the Maoists, and will be followed by a comprehensive peace accord between the government and the rebels within a week that will secure a commitment from the Maoists on ending abduction, torture, extortion and display of arms in public places.

The Maoists are likely to join the interim government with at least five members in the proposed 23-member council of ministers by December 1. The existing 205-members House of Representatives will be treated as an interim parliament and its size increased to 330 to let Maoists nominate 73 members from their party. The remaining will let the smaller parties add to their presence.

The proposed constituent assembly will have 409 members — the existing 205 seats to be filled through first-past-the-post system and the remaining through a proportional representative system.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister K P Oli, in-charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was called back from Delhi to give final shape to the peace process. Official sources said that Oli has been asked to immediately nominate 15 ambassadors as these posts have been vacant for more than five months now.

Incidentally, even as Maoist chief Prachanda negotiated peace, his armed cadres went around Kathmandu, telling residents that each home must take in at least 10 Maoists converging for a public rally Prachanda is scheduled to address Friday. “Once the peace accord is signed, we will honour every word of it,” Prachanda was quoted as having assured the ruling party leaders.

The Nepal conflict began in February 1996 with Maoist insurgents declaring that they would turn the country into a communist republic. But they have now left it to the constituent assembly to decide the fate of the 238-year old monarchy. The Communist Party of Nepal—United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) was the only party which wanted a referendum to decide the future of the monarchy but it relented in the face of the overwhelming view that the decision should be left to the collective wisdom of the constituent assembly.

According to Shekhar Koirala, Prime Minister G P Koirala’s nephew and political aide, the process of selection of seven sites to confine the Maoist guerrillas and arms will begin soon and the UN team led by Ian Martin, special representative of the UN Secretary General, will have the final authority to approve the sites. An understanding to this effect was reached between Prime Minister Koirala, Prachanda and Martin on the sidelines of the summit talks today.

As per the agreement, these seven sites will be home to some 35,000 Maoist guerrillas. There will be additional satellite camps for storing arms. Although keys to the camps will be with the Maoists, the UN team will play monitor through CCTV and alarms. There will be around 200 UN monitors under Martin. The Nepal army will deposit matching number of weapons in designated barracks but the army will continue with normal duties of securing the borders and vital installations.