Panel formed to break deadlock in Nepal

Kathmandu, June 8 : The meeting of the top leaders of three parties, Nepali Congress (NC), Maoists and Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) on Sunday decided to form a joint panel to suggest ways to resolve the deadlock.

The six-member panel includes two representatives from each of the three parties. They are Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Khim Lal Devkota from Maoists, Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat and Radheshyam Adhikari from NC and Bhim Rawal and Agni Kharel from UML.

Devkota, Adhikari and Kharel are also legal experts. The panel is expected to form draft for amending the constitution to resolve the deadlock over power-sharing.

The panel has been asked to suggest its solution within two days.

The party leaders have vowed to end the deadlock by Tuesday, ahead of the Constituent Assembly (CA) meeting on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, NC vice president and Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel has said that the issue of who should become president will now be settled by top leaders of the three parties through dialogue and understanding.

According to reports, the NC had proposed the name of its party president and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala for the position of president at the meeting held in Baluwatar on Sunday morning but the UML and Maoists are said to be not too keen about his name.

ANI