While the UCPN (Maoist) intensified their protests in the capital Tuesday afternoon, the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, at a bilateral meeting at the prime minister´s official residence, took a decision to this effect.[break] They also decided not to dissolve the government, bowing to the Maoist protests.
"We can´t agree to establish a precedent of dissolving the government under the pressure of street protests. Likewise, the fighters must be detached from the Maoist party. These are our ´bottom line´," UML Spokesperson Pradip Gyawali, who was present at the bilateral meeting, told Republica. Top NC and UML leaders held hours-long talks at the prime minister´s official residence at Baluwatar in a bid to thrash out the two parties´ common stance to be presented at trilateral talks among the UCPN (Maoist), NC and UML.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel, Bishnu Poudel, Shankar Pokharel, Pradip Gywali and Raghuji Pant from CPN-UML, and senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Acting President Sushil Koirala, Ram Chandra Poudel, Bimalendra Nidhi, Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, Krishna Sitaula, Arjun Narsing KC and Minendra Rijal from the NC were present at the meeting.
At the talks, they focused on preparing a package deal on how to conclude the peace process.
The two parties are one in their stance that the process should be started by May 24 and that extension of the Constituent Assembly (CA) term should also be proposed by that time. The CA´s two-year term is expiring on May 28.
"After that a national unity government can be formed," Nidhi said, adding, "We will come up with our package and urge the Maoists to call off their strike," he said.
When asked how the government can tackle the ongoing protests as it might take a long time to form a national unity government only after commencing detachment of the Maoist fighters, Gyawali said there can be other options as well. "It can be negotiable. We can agree on forming the government once the process reaches a certain stage and we have some reliable grounds to take the decision," he explained. The NC and UML will hold further rounds of meetings before holding trilateral dialogues with the Maoists.
On taking the peace process ahead, the NC and UML leaders have agreed to prepare the package as per the work plan presented by the special committee formed by the government to supervise, integrate and rehabilitate Maoist combatants.
The committee has proposed to bring the Maoist combatants under the purview of the special committee, list the fighters into three categories-- those meant for volunteer retirement, rehabilitation in society and possible integration into various security agencies.
After categorization of the combatants into three groups, they will be cantoned in three separate camps set up as per the new categories.
On the numbers for possible integration, the parties have decided to stick to the figure of 3,000 combatants that the prime minister had earlier proposed for integration into various security agencies.
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