“If these things are achieved in the next three days the prime minister will step down in as many days but he will not resign without agreement on these issues,” said the prime minister´s political advisor, Raghuji Panta. [break]
Panta dismissed media reports that the prime minister would step down within the next five days as per the verbal agreement reached among the top leaders Friday. “There was no such agreement,” he said.
NC General Secretary Bimalendra Nidhi supported Panta´s interpretation of the three-point agreement. “The prime minister is ready to resign when the parties reach consensus on a national unity government,” he said.
But this involves agreement on all contentious issues sorted out earlier in the six-point agenda and a concrete work plan with a timeframe for implementing all past agreements. “We cannot give the Maoists leadership of the government unless they are fully detached from their arms and combatants,” added Nidhi.
NC and UML leaders said they will agree to Maoist leadership once the Maoists discharge from the cantonments combatants willing to take voluntary retirement and agree to place combatants choosing rehabilitation and integration under effective government control after regroupings.
The three-point deal reached Friday said the prime minister is ready to resign without delay to move ahead through consensus for taking the ongoing peace process to a logical end and promulgating a new constitution. The agreement, however, does not specifically state in how many days the prime minister will resign.
The ruling party leaders said the parties must also reach an agreement on who should lead the next government, the modalities of the government and sharing of ministerial portfolios among the parties before the resignation of the prime minister.
“The national consensus government does not mean a two-thirds majority government comprising the big three parties,” argued Nidhi. “We should be able to bring all other parties also into the government.”
“How long can we afford to have a caretaker government if the prime minister resigns without the three parties arriving at consensus on these issues,” he asked.
The UCPN (Maoist), however, termed the remarks ´provocative´.
“(Raghuji) Panta has not understood how the agreement was reached,” argued Maoist leader Ram Karki. “His statement is nothing less than provocative.”
The agreement was that the prime minister will resign in five to seven days, claimed Karki.
Three-party meeting on Sunday
Top leaders of the Maoists, NC and the UML are scheduled to hold a meeting Sunday to forge a package deal on the six-point agenda sorted out earlier to pave the way for the resignation of the prime minister and formation of a national consensus government. The meeting has been called for 9 a.m. at the Constituent Assembly building.
Likewise, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has called a meeting of the ruling 10 parties in the morning and a separate meeting of 22 parties in the afternoon at his office at Singha Durbar.
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