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Nepal Maoists sack army chief
Sun May 3, 2009 9:13am EDT
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By Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's ruling Maoists fired the army chief on Sunday, accusing him of disobeying instructions not to hire new recruits, a move that could destabilize the coalition government and jeopardize a peace deal that ended a civil war.
"The cabinet has relieved General Rookmangud Katawal of his position," Information and Communications Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
Katawal had refused to accept his dismissal and was meeting other generals in his office, local television stations reported.
Nepal does not have a history of military coups, but the move could wreck a 2006 peace pact that ended a decade-long civil war that pitted the army against the Maoists. The peace agreement ushered the Maoists into the political mainstream.
A meeting of all political parties -- excluding the Maoists but including their allies in the coalition -- was scheduled for later on Sunday, opposition officials said. The Maoists hold 238 seats in the Himalayan nation's 601-member parliament.
In sacking the army chief, the Maoists ignored objections from opposition parties and some allies in the ruling coalition.
Analysts said the Communist UML party, a key ally, was unhappy at the decision and could even quit the government.
UML members and some other small allies stormed out of Sunday's cabinet meeting, government officials said.
"This has completely destabilized the coalition because the UML and the Maoists have painted themselves into a corner," said Kunda Dixit, editor of the Nepali Times weekly. "They have no face-saving way out."
Hundreds of activists of the opposition Nepali Congress party burned tires on the streets of the capital Kathmandu in protest at the decision. Rival Maoist supporters also rallied but there was no violence.
The Nepali Congress said the Maoists were trying to impose "totalitarian" rule by bringing the army under their control.
The Maoists say the move against Katawal was to establish "civilian supremacy" over the army, which was once seen as loyal to the now deposed monarchy.
UNEASY TIES WITH ARMY
The former rebels emerged as the single largest party in a constituent assembly election last year that is tasked with running Nepal until a new constitution is written by May 2010. Abolition of Nepal's 239-year-old monarchy and a new constitution were the key demands in the Maoists' peace negotiations.
"At this rate it is unlikely that the new constitution will be written on time," Dixit said. Continued...
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