After six months of quiet, now comes the signing. The Nepalese government and Maoist rebels have put their signatures to a peace treaty which formally ends ten years of violence that caused the death of approximately 13,000 people.

A Historic Moment. The treaty, signed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the Maoist leader Prachanda, calls for the rebels to join a transition government and to hand over their weapons to United Nations supervision. The peace agreement was ratified in an elaborate ceremony in Kathmandù with massive participation by politicians, diplomats, journalists, and social leaders who signed the accord to sustained applause. “This agreement brings an end to the politics of murder, violence, and terror, and opens a path to the politics of cooperation,” commented 85-year-old Prime Minister Koirala with an ecstatic expression, thanking the Maoists for having sought a peaceful solution. “Nepal is entering a new phase of peace. Now we need to meet and collaborate to insure that the treaty is fully implemented.” Maoist leader Prachanda, a former teacher, echoed the Prime Minister’s words, adding, “This is the end of ten years of civil war in our nation. Our party will work responsibly and renewed vigor to build a new Nepal together.” Most of the population of this Himalayan kingdom lives in poverty, and until today guerrilla control of large sections of the country has impeded social development and tourism, a major resource for Nepal.

Everyone’s Happy Except the King. Now that the agreement has been formalized, the reciprocal ceasefire established six months ago becomes definitive. Tumult among the population forced King Gyanendra to renounce the absolute power he assumed in 2005 and to clean up Parliament. The Maoists will now renounce their status as guerrillas and be integrated into Parliament. The chief of the government negotiators, Krishna Sitaula, announced that from now on anyone who commits crimes or acts of violence will be punished. Everyone is happy, therefore, except the king, whose role now becomes decidedly uncertain. Prachanda also said, “This moment also marks the end of 238 years of the feudal system,” making it clear that his party intends to transform the kingdom into a republic, using peaceful methods to consign the king to the history books. It won’t be an easy task, because many government parties want the king to maintain a public role, even if only a ceremonial one, seeing as many Hindu faithful regard him as the incarnation of a Hindu divinity.