Your reporting of the deepening Maoist crisis shows sensitivity towards those whose lives have been ruined by the fighting, as well as demonstrating thoughtful analysis of the type rarely seen in Nepal's newspapers.

C.K. Lal concludes his excellent article (Inevitability of talks, #0) with an upbeat, slogan-like epithet: "Stop giving speeches, stop discussing modalities, just do it." Whilst his plea is ostensibly directed towards the Prime Minister and his government, out of context, the words sound rather reminiscent of ideological Maoist propaganda. An end to speeches, an end to discussion and more action are the precise demands of the Maoist insurgents.

Who says Prachanda is playing by the rules? All the cards are in his hand, he risks nothing by agreeing to talks.Despite not being a Maoist, never having met one, and not even being Nepali, I know what the Maoists don't want: they don't want corruption, nepotism, and an ageing, selfobsessed and ineffectual government which shuffles from crisis to crisis.Negotiations can only make headway when there is some vague sense of a middle ground. The Maoists want radical change in the structures of political power, but the government has a vested interest in maintaining these very structures. These two aims may well be irreconcilable, and talks (if they happen at all) will have little chance of success.

Alfredo Krienen
Amsterdam