NSP panel

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 22: Acting president of Nepal Sadbhavana Party Badri Prasad Mandal has reconstituted the party's national working committee.Badri Prasad Mandal is the acting national president, Bharat Kumar Bimal and Laxman Lal Karna the vice-presidents, Devendra Mishra and Rajendra Mahato the general secretaries and Khusi Lal Mandal, Mrs. Amrita Agrahari, Ram Narayan Yadav and Mrigendra Kumar Singh the joint general secretaries of the newly-reconstituted national working committee.

Similarly, Durga Prasad Chaudhari is the treasurer, Mukti Nath Mandal the party spokesman.
Likewise, Bishwa Nath Singh Rajbanshi, Durga Prasad Rajbanshi, Dilip Kumar Singh, Bhogendra Thakur, Sarita Giri, Hridayesh Tripathi, Bisheshwar Rajbanshi, Bishwanath Singh, Dilip Kumar Dhadewa, Shambhu Prasad Jaiswal, Govinda Tharu, Mrs. Satyawati Barma, Ram Biswas Raya, Shubhan Ali Ansari, Ram Naresh Yadav and Hare Krishna Prasad Shrestha are the committee members.

"NC's irresponsible remarks will only invite conflict"

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan. 22: Political analysts and the intelligentia have lashed out at the Nepali Congress' recent allegations about His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev's active role in politics, His Majesty's Royal Address on October 4, and the party's newly amended policy that drags the Royal Nepalese Army into controversy."Political parties themselves were out of the constitutional framework and are now foolishly arguing that His Majesty overruled the norms of the constitution. In fact, His Majesty safeguarded the constitution and has paved the way to streamline democracy through the October Royal Address," said Shrish Sumsher Rana, noted political analyst and senior journalist.

He said that in any way it did not befit a party like the Nepali Congress to blame His Majesty the King for His Majesty's Royal Promulgation of October 4, 2002.Answering a query as to whether the Royal Nepalese Army was not already under the jurisdiction of the parliament, Rana said that the debate over the control of the Army was totally bogus as the army has always been under the control of the parliament.

"Since the army is mobilised by the orders of the Security Council that comprises of the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Chief of the Army Staff, the idea of framing it under the parliament is but a ridiculous idea," Rana opined. He said that since there was no parliament at present and that the caretaker government was ruling it, the Congress must have been confused.Hinting at the issues raised by the Nepali Congress, media analyst P. Kharel said, "It would have been better if the Congress had raised other grave issues currently afflicting the nation.

"The issues the responsible party of the country has raised should be discussed once the parliament is formed," he said. "It is surprising why the political parties are mum when it comes to raising the real issues that are there in the October Royal Address of His Majesty the King."
Kharel said that His Majesty's role was in perfect tune with the norms of the Constitution. However, he expressed dissatisfaction over the working pace of the present government. "The government has yet to prove its mission by addressing the five-point agenda that His Majesty the King had included in the Royal Address," said Kharel.

Chanda Shah, Upper House member and former minister, says that the constitution was framed by the two mainstream political parties - the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist Leninist. "So why the big fuss?"

Former minister in the Nepali Congress government led by Girija Prasad Koirala and senior politician Dhundiraj Shastri thinks the Nepali Congress's recent allegations were made to gain cheap popularity.
"This type of irresponsible behaviour on the part of a responsible party like the NC will only invite conflict. This is not the time to trigger conflicts. Rather it is time to forge an alliance among all the forces to resolve the key problems of the country," said Shastri.

In an interview to Paribesh programme on Radio Nepal this morning, the NC veteran listed the Maoist issue and corruption as the key problems facing the nation. "The Maoists have killed and maimed people and cadres of different parties. They have destroyed development infrastructure. Against this backdrop, we should move unitedly," he said. "It would have been better for the NC to introduce a package that will solve the bread and butter problem of the poor Nepalese," he added.

Advocate Bal Krishna Neupane said that the main law of the land had included a provision that clearly states under which institution the Royal Nepalese Army should remain. "The constitution mentions that the army will remain under the National Security Council, not under the parliament. It also says that the army performs its activities under the command of His Majesty the King," Neupane said.
He said that the main law had clear provisions regarding who is entitled to the royal titles.
The constitution has given full right to His Majesty the King to make any decision regarding the heir to the throne, he said.

"Does it befit the NC, which played a key role in drafting the constitution, to make anti-constitutional remarks?" questioned Neupane. "It is against political ethics," he emphatically stressed. Advocate Neupane advises the political parties to amend the constitution rather than make unnecessary remarks against the monarchy. "If they want to amend the constitution, it is better for them to go through the process towards this end," he said.

On the dissolution of the House of Representatives, Neupane said that it was the people's elected prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba who decided to dissolve the House as per Article of 127 of the constitution. On whether the House can be revived as demanded by the NC, Neupane said, "Can a man regain life after death?"

RPP stresses on consensus among parties

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 22: The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has said its stance that dialogue and consensus between political parties that believe in the Constitution and the King is the only way out of
the present problem remains unchanged.

A communiqué signed by RPP central member Khem Raj Pandit says the RPP will remain effortful towards advancing the country along the path of democracy, while remaining firm in its constitutional stance.

Even as the RPP remains committed to the concepts of constitutional monarchy, multiparlty democracy, sovereignty vested in the people and rule of law, some political parties have tried to constrain joint work among the six political parties and this has hampered the unity and common effort among democratic forces set forth by the all party meetings held in the past, it is stated. Such conduct makes it clear that the political parties, instead of being up front in tackling the problems of the country, are only insisting on their own partly priorities and interests.

It is plain that these parties are incapable of coming up with a concrete viewpoint towards resolution of the big problems facing the country, the communiqué says adding, the influence of the party that considers itself synonymous with democracy is being reflected in the other parties also.

Four parties to launch peaceful campaign

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 22: A meeting in Lalitpur today of four political parties represented in the now-dissolved House of Representatives decided to launch a peaceful joint campaign to protect the achievements of the 1990 People's Movement, propel the country along a progressive path and activate the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990. The meeting also expressed commitment to announcing a detailed programme of joint struggle very soon.

A press statement issued following the meeting flayed what it called the government's intention of stopping the dissemination of news related to the activities of the country's political parties or subjecting them to censorship and ignoring the orders of the Supreme Court and its talk of holding the local elections first instead of the general election.

Expressing serious concern at the human rights violations committed by both the state and Maoist sides, the four parties have drawn attention towards the need for stopping such activities as killing innocent people and unarmed civilians, torturing, raping of women, arresting the innocent, etc. Likewise, the meeting has drawn the attention of the Maoists to stop committing excesses like killing or abducting workers of various political parties or innocent members of the general public in contravention to the public commitment made by their party.

Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala, CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, president of Jana Morcha Nepal Amik Sherchan and president of Nepal Workers Peasants Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe attended the meeting called by the Jana Morcha Nepal.

Germany, France to mark 40th year of treaty

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 22: Germany and France are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the signing of Elysee Treaty today, according to a press release of the Embassy of Germany in Kathmandu.
Forty years ago, on January 22, 1963, President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed a treaty of friendship which set the seal on post-war reconciliation between French and Germans, bringing to an end many decades of enmity between them.

This treaty, named the Elysée Treaty for short after the place in which it was signed, has not only had considerable effects on the political future of both countries, but has also been the driving force behind the remarkable development towards greater European integration throughout those 40 years. Since then, it can be said that there has been a very special relationship between Germany and France, the Embassy said in order to emphasise the importance of the anniversary, the elected representatives of both countries in a uniquely symbolic act will gather for a joint plenary meeting of the Bundestag and the Assemblée Nationale in Versailles.

This and other joint events manifest the friendly and creative partnership which will be in future like in the past the right framework for a dialogue and fruitful exchange of ideas to formulate European answers and to further promote European unity.

Leopard cornered at Naikap sent to Chitwan

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan. 22: A leopard that attacked and injured four people in Naikap in Kathmandu was finally cornered at midnight yesterday and sent to the Royal Chitwan National Park today. The leopard was cornered with the help of the police and the local people. A technician at the zoo then put it to sleep with the help of an injection.

According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), four persons were injured by the attacking leopard Tuesday evening at Tinthana Village Development Committee Naikap. Those injured have returned home after treatment.