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Three-party meeting inconclusive as parties dig heels

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Three-party meeting inconclusive as parties dig heels
Three-party meeting inconclusive as parties dig heels

Kathmandu,14 Nov 14: The meeting of the major three parties convened to arrive at a consensus on the contentious issues of the new constitution ended inconclusively today also.

The meeting held at the Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar was expected to forge consensus but failed in its mission as the parties stuck to their positions.

In the meeting, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) had called for presenting the joint proposal that they had tabled in the Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee to the Constituent Assembly after agreeing on it whereas the UCPN (Maoist) had insisted that the proposal could not be presented in the CA without first forging consensus on it.

Although the meeting discussed the demand by the ruling parties that their joint proposal be forwarded to the Constituent Assembly and deliberations held on it, it could not reach any conclusion on the matter, the leaders who attended the meeting stated.

It is learnt that the UCPN (Maoist) had demanded five more days for forging consensus reasoning that discussions were on to that end. However, the Nepali Congress and the UML rejected this demand.

After the meeting, Nepali Congress vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel said that consensus could not be reached in the three-party meeting due to the UCPN (Maoist)’s stance that the joint proposal be taken to the CA after holding extensive discussions on the contents of the new constitution and based on that, and the stance of the ruling parties that their proposal be taken to the CA as it is.

“We urged for presenting our proposal as it is and to make efforts towards consensus in the meantime, but the UCPN (Maoist) did not accept it,” he said.

Vice-chairman of the UCPN (Maoist) Narayan Kaji Shrestha, however, said that the meeting could not agree on whether to finalise the constitution writing process on the basis of consensus alone or on the basis of voting.

CPN (UML) vice-chairman Bhim Rawal said the parties differed on whether to forward only the topics on which consensus has been reached to the CA or also the contentious topics. “The UCPN (Maoist) was not ready to send their (the ruling parties’) proposal to the CA and it seems they wanted to linger the process,” he added.

The UCPN (Maoist) had also proposed to take the joinmt proposal of the NC and the UML directly to the CA for discussion, but the ruling parties also rejected this  and insisted on taking it to the CA through the CPDCC.

The ruling parties also objected to the UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kaml Dahal’s visit to Rolpa to meet the party cadres for what they said trying to halt the constitution writing process itself.

CPDCC chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai said that all would feel the ownership over the constitution if it is written through consensus and urged the top leaders of the three parties to strive for the same.

The meeting concluded agreeing to hold additional discussions after the parties had big argument over whether to take the proposal to the CA based on consensus or through voting.

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