Coalition top brass to float joint integration proposal
REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, May 17: The major three ruling coalition partners-- CPN-UML, UCPN (Maoist) and Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) -- have agreed to come up with a joint proposal, within three days, with regard to concluding the peace process at the earliest.
UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at a three-party meeting on Tuesday committed to come up with a proposal within a day or two.
According to a leader present at the meeting, Dahal told other leaders that he needs to hold discussions within his party on the structure and other details of the proposed separate force to be formed by incorporating former Maoist combatants and personnel from government security agencies.
“Earlier, we at the party´s meeting had decided to propose formation of a separate force but we are yet to discuss its type and other details,” a leader quoted Dahal as saying at the meeting. “Therefore, I need to take the party´s consent before I propose any model at inter-party talks or to the special committee.”
UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, Vice-chairman Bamdev Gautam and politburo member Surendra Pandey , Maoist Chairman Dahal, General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and Deputy Prime Minister and MPRF Chairman Upendra Yadav were present at the nearly one-and-a-half hour meeting at the prime minister´s official residence in Baluwatar.
The leaders also agreed to bring the proposal through the special committee formed to oversee the tasks of integration and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants.
“We have agreed to bring the three parties´ joint proposal latest by Friday so as to ensure concrete progress in the peace process,” Pandey told Republica.
The leaders also decided to intensify talks with the major opposition Nepali Congress (NC) and other political parties and take their consent on the proposals on integration and CA term extension. The NC leaders have informally given a Thursday deadline to the Maoists to come up with a concrete proposal on management of cantoned combatants.
The NC has asked the Maoist leaders to come up with a proposal to ensure re-grouping of the combatants who wish to join the security forces or opt for rehabilitation package before May 28.
“The leaders also decided to convene the meeting of the subcommittee under the Constitution Committee (CC) to settle the disputes in constitution writing at the earliest and resolve the remaining 30 contentious points,” said the prime minister´s Press Advisor Surya Thapa.
The opposition parties have been saying that there is no point in extending the CA term for one more year without making a tangible progress in constitution writing and the peace process.
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Coalition Top Brass To Float Joint Integration Proposal
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