KATHMANDU, JAN 11 - After five days of intense deliberations, the CPN-UML has finally concluded to stick to the constitutional monarchy and seek a middle-path to resolve the current political impasse.
The party’s fifth central committee meeting today concluded that an all-party government with the consensus of all political parties should be formed first. It would then hold a round table conference of all political forces including the Maoists. Such conference would then form an interim government to conduct the parliamentary polls and the new parliament would draft a new constitution.The meeting also dropped the agenda of reinstatement of the dissolved House of Representatives though it has expressed its commitment to the five-party alliance.
When asked to comment on the party’s decision to drop the agenda of House revival, Amrit Kumar Bohara, party standing committee member, said that the relevance of House revival was waning since the five year tenure of the dissolved House of Representatives ends in the second week of April. He also claimed that the issue was already agreed upon among all five parties. "It was also endorsed by our previous meetings. So it is not a new issue," Bohara told The Kathmandu Post.A central member also informed that the party has, however, remained open on the issues of republic and constituent assembly elections should the king refuse to reconcile with the political parties.
"If the king does not express his sincerity to resolve the current crisis giving way to further confrontation, the party is open to go either to constituent assembly election or republic," he said wishing to remain unnamed.
The central member also informed that there was not much difference on the proposals in the ‘road map’ presented by the PartyGeneral Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal in the meeting. "Almost all the issues were already raised by K P Oli and Bam Dev Gautam, the known dissenters in the party. So no one had any such differences over the issues," he said.
Shankar Pokharel, a central member, said that the CPN-UML’s proposal to formulate a new constitution through parliament would be an addition to the 18-point progressive agenda, already agreed upon and made public by the five agitating political parties.Pokharel claimed that the party’s current decision was a transitional-period policy. "It is the middle-way to bring the Maoists to negotiation table and seek a better resolution to the current political stalemate," Pokharel said. The members in the meeting also argued that the party should not expect positive outcome from the king’s latest round of meetings with the leaders of political parties and continue with street protests, he said."The party’s decision is a step forward to resolve the current political crisis. So all the political parties including the Maoists should take it positively," Pokharel said.Party general secretary Nepal, after the meeting, urged the party leaders to become united in the process to lead the country towards progressive and democratic path.Posted on: 2004-01-12 03:42

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