CONSENSUS AMONG THE THREE MAIN PARTIES IN NEPAL

Nepal news: March 10, 2011

The three major parties – UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) – have agreed to prepare the modality of the integration of Maoist combatants within five days and complete the integration process before the promulgation of the new constitution.

A meeting of the top leaders of the three parties held at the Ministry of  Peace and Reconstruction in Singha Durbar Thursday evening arrived at the agreement.

As per the agreement, a taskforce comprising the representatives of the three parties will prepare the modality with a clear timetable of its implementation and submit it to the Special Committee. The Special Committee will immediately start work on the modality.

The three parties also agreed to give top priority to the peace process so as to conclude it before the promulgation of the constitution.

Likewise, they reached an understanding to recruit manpower necessary for conducting the integration and rehabilitation process.

UML leader Pradeep Gyawali said after the meeting that the parties agreed to conclude the integration process in 45 to 50 days. Similarly, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Barshaman Pun informed that the three parties decided to complete the integration and rehabilitation of the combatants as soon as possible. According to him, the meeting also dwelt on the possible integration of the combatants in Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police.

In the meantime, a meeting of the Special Committee (SC) for Integration, Supervision and Rehabilitation of People’s Liberation Army combatants scheduled for Friday to discuss framework and modality of army integration was postponed. The meeting was put off citing lack of clarity between Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal and Chairman of Unified CPN (Maoist) Prachanda, said a SC member and Nepali Congress leader, Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat.

The meeting between Khanal and Prachanda held till late in the evening on Thursday over deployment of human resources in PLA camps ended inconclusively.