Chinese Vice-president Li Yuanchao offered the suggestion to CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya during a meeting between the two sides in Beijing on Wednesday. Baidya had suddenly left on a visit to the northern neighbor earlier this week. [break]
According to sources in Beijing, Vice-president Li made a special request to Baidya and CPN-Maoist Vice-chairman CP Gajurel to reach a political agreement and make the coming CA polls a success.
Stating that Nepal can progress toward political stability and economic prosperity after the election, "Li urged the visiting Nepali leaders to join hands with other political parties in making the election a success", said a Beijing-based source close to Baidya.
CPN-Maoist, the breakaway faction of the UCPN(Maoist), had announced a boycott of the polls to be conducted by the present government. But the party, in a development that surprised many, also formed a five-member talks team headed by Baidya himself before he left for China Monday. He was invited to China by the international department of the Chinese Communist Party.
Prior to the meeting with Li, Chinese Vice-Minister Ai Ping also held discussions with Baidya and Gajurel about the Maoist party´s policy on poll boycott, unification between the CPN-Maoist and UCPN(Maoist), and regional geopolitics.
Li had held an extensive discussion on Nepal-China relations with UCPN(Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, during the latter´s visit to China three months ago.
Chinese leaders have been pushing the two Nepali Maoist communist parties to reunite. Sources said that Li suggested to Baidya to forge an election alliance with the UCPN(Maoist) even if it was not possible for the two parties to reunify in the near future.
As the CPN-Maoist has already formed a talks team to negotiate with the government and the high level political committee, it is assumed that pressure from the northern neighbor could be instrumental in persuading the Baidya Maoists to join the elections. Baidya and Gajurel are scheduled to return to Nepal Thursday evening.
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