(22 Nov 2006) SHOTLIST
1. Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist rebel leader Prachanda arrive on stage at the Birendra International Convention Centre for the signing of the accord
2. Koirala, left, seated beside Prachanda (right) surrounded by other leaders from the ruling parties
3. Koirala and Prachanda signing the peace accord
4. Officials at the signing ceremony including the chief of the Nepal's Army Rukman Katwal
5. SOUNDBITE (Nepali) Girija Prasad Koirala, Nepali Prime Minister:
"This marks a new history in Nepal. Nepal has entered a new era and this deal has opened the doors for a permanent peace."
6. Officials, dignitaries and diplomats at the signing ceremony, applauding
7. SOUNDBITE (Nepali) Prachanda, Maoist rebel leader:
"This formally ends the civil war in the country which lasted for more than 10 years."
8. Wide of leaders from the ruling political parties listening
9. Prachanda talking to Koirala
10. Wide of the convention hall where the signing took place
STORYLINE
Nepal's government and communist rebels signed a peace deal on Tuesday, formally ending a 10-year insurgency that left 13,000 people dead.
The deal paves the way for the one-time guerrillas to join an interim government.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist rebel leader Prachanda signed the accord at a Kathmandu convention hall packed with cheering officials, dignitaries and foreign diplomats.
Prachanda, who goes by a single name, declared that the accord "ends the more than one decade of civil war in the country."
During the war, the Maoists took control of wide swaths of this Himalayan country best known as a magnet for Westerners in search of Eastern spirituality and mountain climbers looking to scale peaks - including the world's highest, Mount Everest.
The rebels built schools, set about breaking down Hindu caste barriers and aided poor farmers, many of whom still live in near-feudal conditions.
But the Maoists were also known for their rigid communist orthodoxy and a puritanical streak, and for murderously enforcing their will on opponents.
On Tuesday, the focus was on cementing a lasting peace.
"Nepal has entered a new era and this deal has opened the door for a permanent peace," Koirala said.
The accord came a day after a government commission blamed the royal dictatorship of King Gyanendra for the brutal crackdown on the April protests that left 19 people dead, and recommended he be punished.
The rebels agreed on November 8 to confine their fighters to seven camps and lock up their weapons under UN supervision.
Under Tuesday's deal, the rebels are to join the interim parliament by November 26 and will get 73 of the chamber's 330 seats.
Koirala's Nepali Congress will remain the biggest party with 85 seats, and the Maoists will share second place with Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist).
The rest of the seats will be held by other smaller parties.
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