House resumes at last after 4-point deal

(Updated with details)



KATHMANDU, July 6: Ending a two-month obstruction, the legislature-parliament resumed normal business at 6 p.m. on Monday after the ruling CPN-UML and Nepali Congress and the main opposition UCPN (Maoist) struck a four-point deal. [break]



With the resumption of the house, the winter session has been prorogued. The budget session is likely to begin Wednesday. Continued disruption of parliamentary proceedings had prevented prorogation of the winter session and summoning of the budget session during which the government presents its policy and program as well as the budget for the new fiscal year.



Top political party leaders including Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala were busy in hectic negotiations throughout the day to end the deadlock.



The Maoist party had been continuously disrupting parliament, protesting what they call the extra-constitutional move by President Ram Baran Yadav to reinstate Chief of Army Staff Rookmangud Katawal on May 3 despite the Maoist-led government´s decision to sack him.



Under the four-point deal reached with the Maoists, the government will take initiative to address the Maoist demand for “civilian supremacy” within a month and Maoist chairman Dahal and PM Nepal will address the house.



Addressing parliament, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal urged all political parties to move ahead with consensus and cooperation to take the peace process to its logical end and write a new constitution on time. “I hereby express my commitment to consensus and cooperation, and I expect the same from the UCPN (Maoist),” he said.



The prime minister assured that the issues of civilian supremacy and the president´s move to reinstate the army chief, raised by the Maoists, would be addressed in a month through consultation with other political parties. "We are all in favor of civilian supremacy. No one wants military supremacy," he said.



Addressing the House this evening, UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushapa Kamal Dahal said the Maoist party agreed to let the house resume because his party wanted to defeat regressive forces wanting the Maoists to continue the obstructions and create a situation of confrontation in the country. “We continuously tried to get the house to resume,” said Dahal.



He also warned that his party would be forced to unleash a “hurricane” (people´s revolt) if the government failed to address the Maoist demand for civilian supremacy. He reiterated that the Maoists will not seize state power through force, and expressed his desire to resolve problems that surfaced during the peace process through consensus and cooperation. He said his party is ready to join a high-level panel for consensus among the political parties. He also repeatedly justified his decision to sack army chief Katawal.



Dahal, Nepal throw barbs at each other



In their speeches, Nepal and Dahal made fun of each other, evoking thunderous applauses at the crowded parliamentary meeting.



“The honorable prime minister is certainly in a difficult position. I was a prime minister elected by the people, but faced so many problems. He (Nepal) is a prime minister brought into office through the click of a remote control. So he must be facing even greater difficulties,” said Dahal.



When Nepal´s turn came, he shot back, “I understand the pain of those who step down from power.”

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