Leaders from both sides termed the meeting held at the official residence of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai ´very positive´ in terms of arriving at a consensus on the number of provinces. [break]
"Though there are some issues yet to be resolved, we are close to an agreement after Maoist showed flexibility," said a top leader involved in the negotiation. Talking to Republica, NC Leader Minendra Rijal said, "We had a frank and open discussion. We reiterated that the seven-province federal model proposed by Nepali Congress is best suited for Nepal."
Meanwhile, a meeting of Dispute Resolution Sub-Committee under the Constitutional Committee is slated for Monday. The three major political parties are scheduled to hold bilateral and trilateral meeting to forge consensus on the number of provinces and their boundaries.
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