Party leaders meet again
Hint tough days ahead for PM Deuba

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2: Top leaders of the four major national parties met yet again on Saturday to discuss the much- talked about broad-based national alliance to steer the nation through various problems, with one of the leaders warning that the Sher Bahadur Deuba government might be toppled in the coming session of parliament.

The meeting was held in the residence of former Prime Minister and Chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Surya Bahadur Thapa. According to RPP sources, the meeting that began at 2 p.m. and was attended by Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala, acting General Secretary of main opposition CPN-UML, KP Oli and Vice President of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party (NSP), Badri Prasad Mandal besides Thapa. NC’s Govind Raj Joshi, UML’s Bharat Mohan Adhikari, RPP’s Kamal Thapa and NSP’s Rajendra Mahato also attended the more than one-and-half-hour meeting.

The main focus of the second such meeting within a week, said the sources, was "to evolve a broad national consensus to solve the Maoist problem and other current problems". The meeting occurred while there are moves to topple the government of Prime Minister Deuba by his own party lawmakers. They have already begun a signature campaign to bring a no confidence motion in the parliament.

Giving the details of today’s meeting, UML’s Oli revealed that the four parties principally agreed to work jointly to address the "deteriorating condition of the nation’s economy" and other pressing problems. The parties are also formulating a programme to address the issues, said Oli.

Quoting Koirala, Oli revealed that the NC president had said in the meeting that he would discuss the need for joint working with opposition parties with the government as well within his own party. "He had asked for some time for this," Oli added. According to him, Koirala also said that he would come forward with his party’s "problem-free" mandate.

The UML leader "clarified" that his party was not interested in the current power struggle within the governing NC, but was concerned about the mounting problems of the country.

He also sounded a warning to the government. "If the Prime Minister does not come with convincing programmes and proposals addressing the problems in the forthcoming 21st Session of parliament, we will spring a surprise. His government might be toppled too."

When asked what the opposition wanted the government to do, Oli said that the government had to reduce the number of ministers, control corruption and abandon "unprogressive ways". "PM Deuba feels only his problems and is oblivious of the problems facing the nation for which he thinks that the mobilising the security forces is the only panacea."

Rebel killed; bombs defused in the capital

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2; Security forces intensifying the crackdown on Maoists killed at least one rebel, and averted a disaster by defusing bombs planted by the insurgents in the capital and adjoining Lalitpur district on Friday, states the press release issued here today by the Defence Ministry.Armed forces conducting the cordon and search operation gunned down an armed rebel following a heavy exchange of fire in Dhamja area of Baglung district.

The slain has been identified as Yam Bahadur Gharti. Security forces also retrieved guns and explosive materials from the site.In Kathmandu and Lalitpur, an army bomb disposal squad defused bombs in Samakhosi (Kathmandu) and Dhobighat (Lalitpur).

It is learnt that the Maoists had planted two bombs each, said the release.The release also said that people in various parts of the country have handed over their guns on their own will to the security forces.

Altogether 169 guns were handed over to the armed forces.Similarly, a total of 55 suspected Maoists were nabbed across the country by the security forces, according to the release.

Those arrested are being interrogated by the armed forces.Meanwhile, our corespondent in Nepalgunj said that the Armed Police Force (APF) recovered large amount of explosive materials in Khajurakhurda Village Development Committee (VDC), Banke district on Friday night. Allegedly, the Maoists had hidden the materials in a brick kiln.Our reporter from Dolkha district said that a 12-year-old boy was severely injured in an ambush laid by the rebels in Jhyaku VDC. The injured has been identified as Som Bahadur Tamang, third grader in Jiri Higher Secondary School.

Oppn wants emergency to be lifted soon

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2: Seventy days into the state of emergency in the country, all the opposition party leaders say they are fed up with the ongoing bloodshed in the country in the name of emergency. However, most of the ruling party continues to support the state of emergency.

The leaders of CPN-UML, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and CPN-ML said at a Reporters’ Club face-to-face programme here Saturday that the emergency should be lifted as soon as possible to prevent further bloodshed in the country.

However, Water Resources Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhedar of the governing Nepali Congress (NC) party, trumpeted the "global support for the government’s war against terror" and called on the parties and people alike to "support the government to disarm and isolate the Maoist rebels."

His Majesty King Gyanendra declared the state of emergency in the country on November 26, in accordance with the article 115 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal. The emergency order has to be presented before a meeting of the House of Representatives for approval within three months from the date of issuance.

The King has called the 21st session of Parliament on February 10 and the Parliament needs to ratify the emergency order with a two-third majority, failing which the emergency order becomes null and void.

The Standing Committee member of CPN-UML, Bharat Mohan Adhikari, who is also a former finance minister, expressed deep concern over the skyrocketing security expenses and went on to warn the government to "think of solutions to prevent an Argentina-like financial crisis."

"The expenses are going up at an unprecedented rate, exports and even imports of commodity are going down, and funds are being cut to schools, and still the government has not been successful in quelling the insurgency as expected," he said. "Has anyone thought what is going to happen tomorrow? The government is not serious and there are talks of fresh infighting within NC. That would be disastrous for the country."

On whether or not his party would vote for the state of emergency in the upcoming session, Adhikary was tight-lipped, but called for measures to improve things by ensuring good governance and taking corruption control measures before parliamentarians vote for or against the emergency order 20 days from now.

He criticised Prime Minister Deuba for inducting 42 ministers in the cabinet, and called on the government to slash down the number of ministries, before going ahead with the recent taxation ordinance. "Why can’t Deuba start cracking down on corrupt practices by slashing down the number of ministries?"

CPN-ML leader Chandra Prakash Mainali heaped the blame on the Maoists for inviting army mobilisation. He also suggested that the government work towards building up public pressure against Maoists.

General Secretary of RPP Pashupati SJB Rana joined Adhikari and Mainali to criticise the frequent fights within the ruling party and blamed that as a factor for the present state of affairs in the country. He voiced the need for a broader national consensus among all the political forces to find an amicable solution to the crises facing the country.

"The issue is not whether or not to support emergency, but to seek a way out," he said. "Let’s make the upcoming session very much constructive, and the government should win over the people’s hearts and minds. Justice has to be ensured in the villages to mount pressure against the Maoists."

Speaking at the end of the programme, Minister Gachchhedar said, "I personally think that the state of emergency has to be ratified by the Parliament." Saying that the 21st session should be the most constructive one in 12 years, he also announced that the government would soon announce fresh socio-economic reform programmes.

Crucial ML, UML talks today

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2: The main opposition CPN-UML and its splinter party CPN-ML will hold a crucial meeting here tomorrow to discuss merger plans.

"We are going to hold the talks tomorrow evening at the UML’s party office," Radha Krishna Mainali, co-ordinator of the ML negotiating team told The Kathmandu Post.

On Friday, the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) had written a letter to the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) to fix the time and venue of the reunification talks.

The talks became imminent after one of the three members of the UML negotiating team, Amrit Kumar Bohara, arrived in the capital from India today. The UML negotiating team, after holding a meeting this afternoon, send a message to the CPN-ML later this evening to confirm the time.

Mainali also said they wanted to hold the talks tomorrow so that they will be able to deliver the UML’s version ahead of the ML’s Central Committee meeting that is slated for Monday.

"Tomorrow’s meeting will basically review and analyse the past developments made so far prior to the reunification," Mainali said.

Confirming tomorrow’s talks, co-ordinator of the UML negotiating team, Bharat Mohan Adhikari, said the talks would only concentrate on the reunion.

Adhikari also said that the two major points that will feature in tomorrow’s talks would be on the Mahakali Treaty and the party structure after unification.

The UML-ML unification process gained momentum after the main opposition fulfilled two of ML’s "tough" demands last week.

C.P. Mainali extends best wishes to Bam Dev

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2: Central member of CPN-ML, the breakaway faction of the main opposition CPN-UML, Chandra Prakash Mainali today said a "huge chunk of our party is merging with UML" very soon.

Speaking to reporters at an interaction programme here Saturday, the influential leader of the party said, "Our General Secretary Bam Dev Gautamji has a dream to become the country’s prime minister or General Secretary (of UML) so he is taking our party back to UML."

He added sarcastically, "This is happening very quickly in the same fashion the organs of deceased Satidevi (a lead character of Hindu mythological book of Swasthanee (which is being recited at Nepali houses every evening these days) fell off and merged with the earth. Call it a merger, or re-unification or whatever you like, but this is happening very soon."

He also wished his best wishes to ML General Secretary Bam Dev Gautam "to make the on-going UML-ML re-unification process successful". "May he succeed in his mission and may things start looking up for good," he said.

Mainali, who is believed to belong to a school of thought different from that of Gautam, made the comments a day after ML leader Gautam and members of the re-unification dialogue committee visited UML’s Balkhu-based headquarters and met up their former comrades-in-arm.

UML and ML split in 1998 citing what the leaders then said were serious differences over the Indo-Nepal Mahakali treaty of 1996, leaving the second largest political force in the country politically weaker and confused. The talks of re-unification of the two factions are around for about a year.

NC MPs urge PM to extend emergency

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2: Almost 24 lawmakers of the ruling Nepali Congress today met Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and appealed him to give continuity to the present state of emergency by maintaining peace and order and by making massive reforms in the state mechanisms.

In the brief meeting, the lawmakers besides complaining over the curtailing of development budgets also urged the PM to control rampant corruption, one of the lawmakers told The Kathmandu Post.

The lawmakers also chastised the government for not being able to mobilise the army away from the district headquarters. Many lawmakers supposed to be close aides of PM Deuba also complained that the government was not being run properly.

NNSD ropes in over 40 members

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2: Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) today said that more than 40 organisations, experts and journalists have joined the Nepal Network for Sustainable Development (NNSD).

According to the NFEJ general secretary, Rajesh Ghimire, organisations, experts and journalists have joined the network formed under the initiatives of the NEFEJ, a forum of journalists in the field of environment.

The network has been formed to promote sustainable development in Nepal, to raise awareness regarding sustainable development, to increase the role of civil society in the sustainable development and to provide input for World Summit for Sustainable Development which will take place in Johannesburg, September 2002.

Besides, the network will review the Rio+10 activities, undertakes by the Nepalese government and support the government in formulating policy for the implementation Nepal’s commitment put forth at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992.

According to the NEFEJ, the network will also lobby to include the NNSD’s priorities in the government agenda. "The network will monitor and lobby Nepalese government’s activities after the Johannesburg Summit," added the NEFEJ Secretary.

The network had already conducted sectoral meetings of NNSD two weeks earlier to review what has so far been implemented regarding the Agenda 21, a draft for sustainable development in the 21st century. The meetings were held on socio-economic development (population, consumption pattern, poverty, agriculture, rural development, information and communication development etc) natural resource development (protected area, hydropower, energy, forest pollution, solid waste management, etc) and on strengthening the role of major groups (women, youth, indigenous and marginalised people, local development, farmer, scientists, etc).