The point of contention, according to leaders engaged in negotiations, now hinges only on a single issue -- immediate resignation of the prime minister.[break]
The Maoists talk team members had decided to walk out of the meeting held on Saturday evening after the NC and UML did not accept the former’s demand that the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government step down immediately to pave way for formation of national consensus government. The meeting on Sunday that was attended by top leaders also failed to make any headway.
The ruling parties argue that forcing Prime Minister Nepal to step down through street protests that the Maoists enforced from Sunday would not only humiliate him but also invite bitterness among political parties, thereby further diminishing the possibility of forming a national consensus government -- a key demand of the agitating Maoists.
The NC and UML leaders have been maintaining that country should not be left in a vacuum as the deep polarization that exits among parties would not make it possible to constitute a national consensus government any time soon.
According to NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, the parties are not at odd in the formation of national consensus government, though.
Mahat, who is engaged in three-party negotiation, said NC and UML proposed forming national consensus government by May 24 -- four days before the CA term expires -- after ensuring tangible progress in the implementation of the six-point agenda.
The six-point agendas sorted out by the High Level Political Mechanism (HLPM) meeting include reviewing the progress of implementation of all agreements reached in the past, creating an environment of trust among political parties, addressing the president´s move to reinstate army chief vis-à-vis civil supremacy, taking peace process to a logical end, resolving differences seen in constitution drafting and power-sharing deal among the parties.
Another leader engaged in three-party negotiations, said they have fundamentally arrived at consensus on all agendas that have been sorted out. "The Maoists insistence on the prime minister’s resignation has fixed us in a deadlock," said the leader asking to be unnamed.
During the negotiations held in the past few days, the three parties have agreed to bring all cantoned Maoist combatants under control of Special Committee on Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist combatants and categorize them according to their interests -- join security agencies, take voluntary retirement and or opt for rehabilitation -- by May 24.
Though there exist differences on the number of combatants to be integrated in security agencies, the three parties agree in principle to ensure integration on the basis of established standards of concerned security agencies and recommendations received from the technical committee. The parties have also agreed to keep the combatants in separate cantonments after categorizing them into three of the interest groups.
Leaders said the Maoists agreed to return the properties that are still under the party´s control by May 24 and also form a commission in order to facilitate return of the seized properties that are no more under Maoist control with the help of administration.
Among other things, the parties have also forged agreement to extend the term of Constituent Assembly that expires on May 28, form State Restructuring Commission and disband paramilitary structure of the Maoists´ Young Communist League before announcing the formation of national consensus government by May 24.
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