According to Minister for Information and Communications Shankar Pokharel, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal will float a proposal to this effect at a meeting of the top leaders from major parties on Monday.
"The prime minister will table the proposal before the top leaders to fix the dates simultaneously," Pokharel told reporters after a cabinet meeting at Singha Durbar.[break]
The government move comes at a time when the ruling coalition is resolute to bring the Maoist fighters under the special committee while the Maoists seem unwilling for that.
Leaders at the Special Committee meeting on September 17 had agreed in principle to bring the combatants under the command and control of committee soon.
The non-Maoist parties have been pushing the former rebel party to transform itself into a civilian party by detaching itself from arms and troops.
At present, over 19,000 Maoist combatants are staying inside 28 UN-monitored cantonments.
Meanwhile, sources said the government is likely to recommend to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav to summon the regular session of parliament for January 3.
While leaders of the UCPN (Maoist) and some smaller parties have been demanding that the government call the session without any delay, some leaders from the ruling coalition argue that it will be meaningless to convene the House session without first forging consensus among parties on ending the deadlock.
"Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is for convening the session as per the two-point agreement recently reached among the big three parties," said a high-level political source. The source said reports that the prime minister is unwilling to convene the session are false.
"During Sunday´s meeting, the prime minister said he is for summoning the House session on January 3," said a minister.
UCPN (Maoist) and six other smaller parties had agreed to prorogue the special session, which was summoned upon their petition, after the two-point deal Thursday. According to the source, while the Maoist leaders are insisting on convening the session from December 30, NC leaders want it to start from January 2. The prime minister, on the other hand, is in the mood to set the date for January 3.
Maoists have been saying that early House session is needed to elect a new prime minister. Parliament failed to elect new prime minister even after 16 rounds of voting. The voting was halted after the government abruptly prorogued the session on November 20. The budget session was suddenly called off by the president upon government recommendation after Maoist lawmakers assaulted Finance Minister Surendra Pandey and snatched the briefcase with the budget booklet while he was heading to the parliament rostrum to present the budget on November 19.
Prime Minister Nepal resigned his post on June 30.
APF chief asked to take action against AIG
The cabinet meeting on Sunday directed Armed Police Force (APF) Chief Sanat Basnet to seek clarification from Additional Inspector General Thakur Mohan Shrestha over his involvement in misusing the organization´s musical band, logo and uniform at a function organized by "Greenford International University", a fake university that awarded PhD certificates to various political leaders and public figures. According to a cabinet source, the cabinet meeting took a decision to this effect acting on the recommendation of the Home Ministry. APF Chief is authorized to take necessary action including dismissal of AIG from service if he finds clarification furnished by the latter unconvincing.
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