The Maoist chairman floated the proposal during a meeting of the leaders of UCPN (Maoist) and CPN-UML on Sunday evening to prepare grounds for the meeting of the three major parties.[break]
“Dahal said they are for settling all the issues -- ranging from the peace process, constitution making, power sharing, formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on Disappeared People and appointments in the constitutional bodies -- in a package through mutual understanding,” said CPN-UML leader Surendra Pandey.
The proposal indicates a shift in the Maoist leadership´s position with regard to the peace process and constitution drafting. Previously, Dahal and Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai had insisted on settling the issues of the peace process in isolation if a package deal on all contentious issues was not possible. The Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the Mohan Baidya faction of the UCPN (Maoist) have also been insisting on such a package deal.
Besides Baidya, Ram Bahadur Thapa from the camp was also present at the meeting. Prime Minister Bhattarai and Maoist leader Posta Bahadur Bogati, CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, leaders Ashok Rai, Pandey and Bhim Rawal were also present at the meeting.
During the talks, both the sides agreed to settle all the issues in a package and not in isolation, leaders said.
Dahal said the new political development has further proved that formation of consensus government and decision-making through mutual understanding among the major parties has become imperative for accomplishing the twin tasks of concluding the peace process and writing the new constitution,” Pandey told Republica.
Earlier in the morning, the second and third largest parties in parliament -- NC and CPN-UML -- had agreed with UCPN (Maoist) to present a common proposal on the integration number and rehabilitation package.
“We have agreed to propose the same number for integration and the same amount of money for the rehabilitation package,” an NC leader told Republica preferring anonymity, refusing to give details about the number and the cash incentives they plan to propose to the Maoists.
NC Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Paudel said they have agreed to settle all the major contentious issues on the peace process in a package and not in isolation. The NC briefed the UML leaders about their latest rounds of talks with the Maoists and assured the latter that the NC will not sign any deal with the Maoists keeping the UML in the dark.
According to Pandey, NC leaders told them that both the NC and the Maoists haven´t made any tangible progress since the Maoist-NC-UML talks on the eve of the prime minister´s visit to India earlier this month.
UML leaders had proposed to resume the tasks of constitution writing simultaneously with the peace process. At present, the leaders have deferred the constitutional committee meetings until further notice as the NC leaders insisted that the constitution drafting process should be taken ahead only after first settling the major thorny issues of the peace process.
“But the NC leaders are still for settling the contentious issues on the peace process beforehand,” said Pandey.
UML leaders during the meeting also enquired if the NC leaders had reached any understanding with the Maoists with regard to power sharing, particularly about heading the election government after promulgating the new constitution. “We just discussed this matter but the NC is never for keeping aside the UML while reaching any agreement in a package,” a leader quoted the NC leaders as saying at the meeting.
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