No progress at three-party talks

KATHMANDU, Oct 6: It has now become routine. They come, they sit for talks, and they go after agreeing to sit again for the next round -- but there is no agreement on the issues they are supposed to tackle to end the protracted political deadlock over election of a new prime minister.



With the question of whether or not the Nepali Congress should withdraw its prime ministerial candidacy without reaching a ´package deal´ on issues related to the peace process, constitution-drafting and the modality and leadership of a new government continuing to be the bone of contention, the three-party meeting held on Wednesday ended inconclusively also, and with an agreement only to continue bilateral and trilateral talks. [break]



Speaking to media after the three-party meeting held at the parliamentary party of the CPN-UML Wednesday, Maoist Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said they failed to arrive at any consensus though the talks among the top leaders of all three parties were held on a serious note. “All three parties agree that there must be consensus to bail the country out of the current political deadlock,” he said. “But there has not been any concrete agreement on how to move ahead.”



He said the NC demanded that they complete all the tasks related to the peace process and agree on all contentious issues that have surfaced during constitution drafting as pre-conditions for withdrawing the NC´s prime ministerial candidacy. Arguing that they have helped to speed up the peace process by agreeing on issues related to the integration and rehabilitation of combatants and have also helped to prepare an integrated draft of the new constitution, Shrestha said, “The demand put forward by the Nepali Congress cannot be acceptable to us.”







Shrestha said the NC must first withdraw its prime ministerial candidacy to end the current political deadlock. “The repeated voting for prime minister has only made a mockery of democracy,” he said. “We are ready to discuss all the issues in contention after the withdrawal of the prime ministerial candidacy.”



NC leader Ram Chandra Poudel has become the lone candidate in the prime ministerial race after Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal withdrew his candidacy in the eighth round of parliamentary voting.



Poudel told media that there is no point withdrawing his PM candidacy without forging consensus among the three parties as all these rounds of voting in parliament were meant to forge consensus. “There must be agreement on issues related to peace and the constitution before the withdrawal of candidacy,” he said.



Poudel said the Maoists have been saying that they can reach an agreement after the withdrawal of his prime ministerial candidacy. “However, we are not in a position to believe them as they have failed to abide by agreements reached in the past,” he added.



Both Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal appeared frustrated with the lack of tangible progress in talks. Asked if there was any progress, Dahal said, “There is no alternative to arriving at a consensus”, adding, “Efforts are underway to move to that end.”

The Maoists will organize the next meeting of the three parties.

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