The parties have maintained that the prime minister should take the responsibility if Nepal is put in the ´black list´ in case the hard line faction of the UCPN (Maoist) obstructs the passage of the bills. [break]
Talking to media persons after submitting the memorandum, NC Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel said failure to endorse the bills by Friday would tarnish Nepal´s image in the international arena as warned by the Financial Action Task Force, the global body working to tackle money laundering."We have warned him that Bhattarai as prime minister should take the responsibility if the bills are not endorsed by the parliament by Friday," he said.
The three different bills on money laundering, mutual legal assistance and organized crimes are pending in parliament due to opposition by UCPN (Maoist)´s hardline faction-aligned Maoist lawmakers.
Paudel was accompanied by UML Chief Whip Bhim Acharya while submitting the memorandum. "I am trying to convince dissatisfied faction in the Maoist," Acharya quoted the prime minister as saying.
Earlier in the morning, a meeting of 16 parties including the NC had decided to exert pressure on the government to endorse the bills by Friday.
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