Kathmandu, May 12
Major political parties Saturday continued their parleys to resolve the contentious issues of the new constitution.
In the two-party and multi-party meetings held today, they focused on the pending issues of state restructuring and government system.
UCPN-Maoist and Nepali Congress (NC) leaders held a meeting at the Lazimpat residence of Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and discussed about state restructuring.
Similarly, NC and CPN-UML held talks about state restructuring and governance system.
However, the meeting between the NC and UCPN-Maoist concluded inconclusively.
After the meeting, Maoist vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that the discussions were positive as the parties were trying to resolve the differences. .
According to him, the meeting centered on state restructuring and other pending issues of the constitution.
NC vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel said that the parties were divided over the name and number of federal provinces.
He said that the meeting centered on identifying the names, fixing the numbers and areas of the provinces. However, the meeting failed to reach a consensus.
He said that the major parties were trying to resolve the issues of governance system and state restructuring.
Maoist chairman Prachanda, Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha from the UCPN-Maoist and president Sushil Koirala, among other leaders, from NC were present in the meeting.
Meanwhile, the meeting between NC and UML also focused on state restructuring.
After the meeting, UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal said that the two parties were trying to bring a common agenda of state restructuring.
He added that the formal and informal talks among the parties would continue to forge consensus on state restructuring, the most contentious issue of the new constitution.
NC president Koirala, leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, vice-president Poudel, UML chairman Khanal, leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and others were present at the meeting.
During the meeting, the leaders agreed to continue the bilateral and multilateral meetings to resolve the pending issues of the new constitution.
