HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

PM offers consultation with parties for polls

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KATHMANDU, Dec. 10: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has said he is ready to sit together with all the political parties to fix the date for the next general elections.

Talking to newsmen at the Prime Minister's residence at Baluwatar on the occasion of the 54th World Human Rights Day today, Chand said, 'Let's sit together and I will apprise you of everything about the present situation, and I am ready to hold elections soon'.

Disclosing that a human rights group has been engaged in holding government-Maoists talks, Chand made it clear that the efforts were headed in a positive direction and he had been following the developments.

'It takes time for talks', the Prime Minister said added 'let's not lose patience and let's not start rumours'.

PM Chand said whether it is a good deed or not to close down schools will be judged by the people themselves.

The Prime Minister said he has good rapport with all the political parties and their leaders and RPP leader Surya Bahadur Thapa has a perfectly appropriate attitude towards him.

At the same programme, Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal said the Maoists should come forward for talks with a formal letter and not through the newspapers.

Present at the programme were Ministers, MPs, high ranking officials of the government, human rights leaders, judges, journalists, industrialists and representatives of the diplomatic corps.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chand has said the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 guarantees the human rights of the people and His Majesty's Government is committed to ensuring free exercise of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Speaking at a workshop on "collective effort for peace" organised by the Human Rights Organisation of Nepal (HURON) on the occasion of the 24th International Human Rights Day, Prime Minister Chand said the arrangement that discourages enactment of laws advocating the death penalty constitutes an outstanding human rights document.

"It is one's civil right to be entitled to exercise the fundamental rights envisaged in the Constitution but free exercise of human rights is possible only in peace", the Prime Minister noted.

Stating that it is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order in the country, Chand said the wishes of the government alone cannot lead to peace in the present unnatural circumstances in the country.

Prime Minister Chand said the government is resolved that the current problem of the nation can be resolved only through dialogue and that the role of human rights organisations, all the political parties and civil society would be important in creating a conducive atmosphere for it.

"The government is ever ready for talks, the door for dialogue is always open", the Prime Minister said.

On the occasion Prime Minister Chand released the annual publication of the organisation.

Sunil Kumar Bhandari of Nepali Congress, Radha Krishna Mainali of CPN-UML, president of NWPP Narayanman Bijukche and member of the peace talks facilitating committee Malla K. Sundar also expressed their views at the programme chaired by HURON president Sudip Pathak.

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