NC President Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal reached to the agreement during a meeting held at Koirala´s residence in Maharajgunj, Monday afternoon. Dahal alone had reached Koirala´s residence for the meeting.
The meeting comes at a time when the rift between the main opposition UCPN (Maoist) and the ruling parties has widened over the move of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav. The Maoist has been staging street protests demanding the formation of national unity government and correction of president´s move over army chief dismissal row.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, Dahal said the peace process and new constitution drafting have failed to take momentum due to lack of an environment of trust among major political parties. “We held discussion about the formation of the high level political mechanism during the meeting,” he said.
Earlier, three parties-NC, Maoist and CPN-UML-had formed a task force comprising two members each to finalize the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the high level political mechanism after agreeing in principle to form the mechanism to the steer the ongoing peace process. However, the task force has failed to finalize the ToR due to insistence of the Maoist that their political demand of ´civilian supremacy´ be settled first.
Dahal said that they have agreed to settle the issue through a meeting of top leaders as the task force has failed to function smoothly. “We have agreed to sit with UML leadership to settle the issue,” he said. “Today´s meeting has ended on positive note.”
He, however, declined to divulge what other things transpired during the one hour long meeting.
UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal was also supposed to attend the meeting at Koirala´s residence. However, he could not attend as he left Kathmandu for various western districts for party´s function.
NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who was present during the meeting, said the meeting was aimed at settling the difference among the parties to expedite the works of task force formed constitute high level political mechanism. “The two leaders held discussion to arrive at an agreement,” he said.
Sitaula said that both the leaders have acknowledged the need to form such mechanism to establish political stability and sustainable peace in the country. The two leaders had also discussed about reconstitution of special committee formed to integrate and rehabilitate Maoist combatants as it has failed to function after the Maoist stepped down from the government on May 4.
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