Nepal's major parties talks fail to bring consensus as deadline ends

Kathmandu, August 8 : Even after the end of the deadline, the major political parties of Nepal- Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist (CPN-M), Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) and Madhesi People's Rights (MPRF) failed on Friday to reach on a common agreement to form the post-election government. A meeting of the four largest parties in the Constituent Assembly (CA) held on Friday evening ended without making any headway, passing the extended deadline given by the President.

The parties parted after agreeing to finalise the issue through the Constituent Assembly meeting at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction.

The parties failed to forge a consensus on Common Minimum Programme (CMP), the allocation of ministerial portfolios and the implementations of the agreements made in the past.

While the CPN-UML and MPRF floated the idea that the Maoists should lead the next government.

"We failed to forge an agreement on the formation of new government as per the constitutional provision and appeal from the President. But, it doesn't mean that an agreement is not possible from now on," Kantipur quoted Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said emerging from the meeting.

"We could not agree on the Common Minimum Programme and ministerial portfolios," Dahal added.

UML General Secretary Jhala Nath Khanal said that the parties have agreed on the Maoist-led government in general.

"The days of meetings could not even enter the issue of CMP, power-sharing, ministerial allocation, code of conduct and on who should lead the government cannot be finalise," MPRF coordinator Upendra Yadav said.

At today's meeting, the Nepali Congress repeated that the issues such as power-sharing, implementation of past pacts and CMP should be agreed in a package.

ANI