Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said the peace process has reached an irreversible point and that no one can derail it. [break]
“We have made a great leap forward with regard to advancing the peace process. Now it will not be reversed,” the prime minister said at the Reporters´ Club. “Now, rest assured, we will promulgate the new constitution by May 27. There is no need to doubt it.”
On the system of governance, the prime minister said that the political parties now have no option other than finding a common ground for a compromise. “Let´s debate whether parliamentary or presidential system is better. But we have no alternative to finding a middle way and reaching a compromise,” he said.
UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, from the same podium, said the special committee´s decision to conclude the peace process in the next two weeks has prepared solid grounds for promulgation of the new constitution.
He urged leaders from other political parties not to doubt Maoists´ sincerity toward the peace process. “Rest assured that the peace process will be concluded in the next two weeks and now it is high time we concentrate our efforts on concluding the task of constitution writing,” said Dahal.
Dahal said the issue of the state restructuring would also be addressed amicably. "We will draw the federal map of the country on the basis of identity and financial viability," he said.
Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala emphasized the need for implementing the agreements. "We have reached several agreements in the past but the problem lies in sincere implementation of the deals," he said. "I hope this time around the agreements on the peace process will be sincerely implemented."
He reiterated that the country shouldn´t be restructured on the basis of ethnic-based federal model. "Ethnic federalism will be very unfortunate for the country," said Koirala.
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