Nepal ethnic group sets terms for talks

KATHMANDU, Feb 2 (Reuters) Nepal must end police action against ethnic Madhesi protesters and create an atmosphere for talks to end protests in which at least 13 people were killed in two weeks, a community leader said today.

The call by the head of the Madhesi People's Rights Forum came two days after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala vowed to turn Nepal into a federal state and to increase representation of ethnic groups in a constituent assembly due to be elected later this year.

Koirala also invited protest leaders for talks with the government in a bid to end the unrest in the southern plains.

''This is positive but incomplete,'' Upendra Yadav told Reuters.

''There should be a proportional election system to give fair representation.'' Besides, Yadav said officials and policemen responsible for the killing of what he called peaceful protesters in the Terai should be punished before talks with the government.

''The prime minister's offer is unsatisfactory and does not address our demands completely. We will continue our protests until the genuine demands of the Madhesi people are met,'' he added.

Angry demonstrations in the Terai, a narrow strip of fertile plains bordering India and populated mainly by Madhesis, have also left scores wounded and cast a shadow over Nepal's fledgling peace process.

Yadav's forum has led the protests saying ''ruling elites'' dominated mainly by the people from the hills had undermined them over jobs in the government, police, army and seats in parliament.

The violence has cast a shadow over a landmark peace pact between the government and Maoists ending a decade-old conflict.

Separately, many districts in Nepal's eastern hills were closed today, the third day of a general strike sponsored by ethnic groups living in the mountains and also demanding more seats in the constituent assembly.

The United Nations said the escalation of ethnic violence was ''very worrying''.

''It is essential that a dialogue be established as soon as possible in order to prevent further violence,'' Lena Sundh, chief of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal, said in a statement.

REUTERS AD ND1214