Thorny issues forwarded to Big 3 chiefs

KATHMANDU, Feb 24: The three-party meeting on Thursday failed to reach any agreement on the contentious issues of constitution drafting and peace process, but forwarded the issues to the chiefs of the three major parties for settlement.



UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala, and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal are scheduled to meet at Dahal´s residence in Lazimpat on Friday morning to reach a package agreement on the issues of peace, constitution and power sharing. [break]



Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai will also attend the meeting.



At the meeting held on Thursday, Bhattarai had presented the contentious issues and invited the leaders for discussion. The issues he presented included integration of the combatants, constitution-drafting, and mechanism for local governance.







But NC and UML demanded that the government first implement the peace agreements before completing integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.



“The peace process must be concluded as per the seven-point agreement before taking up other issues,” NC leader Ram Chandra Paudel told media persons after the meeting.



Maoist Chairman Dahal, on the other hand, argued that the parties should reach an agreement in a package. “Taking up the issues one by one will be time-consuming. So the issues should be resolved in a package,” UML leader Ashok Rai quoted Dahal as saying at the meeting.



The leaders then agreed to refer the issues to the chiefs of the three major parties and reach an agreement in a package.



The Maoists are in favor of taking ahead the constitution drafting and peace process side by side, while NC and UML have demanded that the peace process be settled immediately before taking up the issues of constitution drafting.



NC and UML had also raised their voices against the cabinet decision to provide relief packages to disabled Maoist cadres. They stated that many civilians and cadres of other parties who were injured during the insurgency and the April Movement also deserve relief packages.



Prior to the three-party meeting, NC and UML had held a bilateral meeting to forge a common stance on the peace process.



After the meeting they said the government has been delaying the process to close down 14 of the 28 cantonments, as agreed earlier, and that the prime minister has not yet invited the army leadership to the Special Committee to discuss integration of the combatants. NC and UML also concluded that the army´s detailed plan on integration is positive.

Related story

Indian Army invites former chiefs of Nepal Army to New Delhi