A HLPC meeting held at its secretariat at New Baneshwar Tuesday decided to meet Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi Wednesday morning and formally ask him to expedite amendments to incorporate the agreements reached with the Upendra Yadav-led FDF and Ashok Rai-led FSP. The HLPC had earlier decided to stall the statute amendment process to make last-ditch efforts to bring the Baidya-led alliance on board the election process. [break]
During the HLPC meeting Tuesday, NC President Sushil Koirala, who is also coordinator of the HLPC, and CPN-UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal briefed participants on the demands put forth by the Baidya-led alliance. "They have demanded that a national consensus government of all political forces be formed and the November date for the CA poll deferred. It seems they are not committed to participating in the November poll," UCPN (Maoist) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha quoted Koirala as saying at the meeting.
UML leader Nepal, also briefing the meeting, said he was not convinced that the Baidya-led alliance would join the November poll as they continue insisting that a roundtable political conference be organized to decide on a new government and a new date for the election. Nepal argued that though they could consider deferring the CA poll there was no clear commitment on the part of the Baidya-led alliance to participating in the poll.
While Koirala held a ´secret´ meeting with Baidya at the latter´s office at Buddhanagar just before the HLPC meeting, UML leader Nepal had an informal meeting with Baidya and others leaders of his party on Monday. The leaders in the HLPC decided to expedite the statute amendment process as stalling it further to bring the Baidya-led alliance on board would jeopardize the prospects of November polls, according to NC leader Dr Minendra Rijal.
Talking to media after the meeting, UML leader Raghuji Panta alleged that the Baidya-led alliance was bent on thwarting the November poll while prolonging their talks purportedly to hold a roundtable. "Since they seem to have no intention of participating in the poll we have decided to put all our efforts into gearing up preparations for the poll," Panta said.
However, the HLPC has decided to keep the door for talks with the Baidya-led alliance open in view of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav urging the party leaders to bring the dissenting parties on board the election process. President Yadav had held a joint meeting with top leaders of the major parties in the HLPC Tuesday morning.
CPN-Maoist Spokesperson Pampha Bhusal said the talks have failed to make any headway as the major parties failed to concede their demand for a roundtable conference and deferal of the election date. "While they ask us to join the November poll, we have asked them to agree to a roundtable which would decide a new date for the election and a national consensus government of the political forces," she told Republica.
Top leaders of major parties represented in the High Level Political Committee (HLPC) have decided to ask Chairman of Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi to cancel his visit to the 68th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
Arguing that the visit by Chairman Regmi at this point of time to the UNGA in New York was uncalled for, UCPN (Maoist) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha had proposed at the HLPC meeting Tuesday to ask Regmi to cancel his visit. The leaders are scheduled to ask him to shelve his visit to New York and put all his efforts in the preparation for holding election in November during their meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning.
HLPC to ask Regmi to cancel UN visit
Earlier on Tuesday, Minister for Foreign and Home Affairs Madhav Prasad Ghimire decided to cancel his visit while Chairman Regmi decided to curtail his visit to UNGA to five days. “Chairman Regmi won´t go to the UNGA. Either our permanent representative to the UN or some other minister will lead Nepalese delegation,” a leader present at the HLPC meeting told Republica.
While Minister Ghimire, who was member of the Regmi´s delegation, was originally scheduled to leave for Washington DC on September 17, Chairman Regmi was supposed to fly to New York on September 21. They were scheduled to fly back home on September 30.
The decision came in the wake of criticism from various quarters that absence of both Chairman Regmi and Minister Ghimire, who is tasked with the responsibility for ensuring a conducive security environment for the poll for such a long-time may jeopardize the prospect of November polls.
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