UN Secretary-General Ban arrives

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 31 Oct: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived for less than a 24-hour visit Friday to urge the completion of the peace process that has run into rough weather before UNMIN extended second mandate ends in the third week of January 2009.
Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav greeted the first foreign guest of the Maoist-led government when he arrived from New Delhi in a special aircraft.
He immediately huddled into talks with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who later in the evening hosted the visitor to a dinner reception.
Ban will address the CA before flying directly to Bangladesh from Lumbini Saturday after paying pilgrimage at Lumbini, the birthplace of The Bhddha.
Before flying to Lumbini, the visitor will pay a courtesy call on President Dr Ram Baran Yadav.
He will have separate talks with main opposition leader Girija Prasad Koirala and CPN-UML General Secretary Jhalanath Khanal.
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Nepali Congress puts hurdle before special integration committee

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 31 Oct: Hours before the arrival of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday to push the completion of the peace process initiate din April 2005, main opposition Nepali Congress said a special committee on integration between Nepal Army (NA) and Maoist PLA can only function on political consensus.
An informal meeting of top party leaders at the residence of party President Girija Prasad Koirala demanded proportional representation in the committee which has two Maoist members.
Government has set aside only one seat for the Nepali Congress in the five-member committee which it has refused o join obstructing the committee work to push integration pushed by Maoists.
The committee constituents, the opposition party, said should first prepare its term of reference before approval by the cabinet.
Congress said the government last week formed the special integration committee against the spirit of agreements between Maoists and eight parties.
Nepali Congress and the CPN_UML leaders Friday discussed the committee formation.
Former CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said Friday the committee cannot function without participation of the main opposition even though the government with his party formed the integration committee.
Maoist Peace Minister Janardhan Sharma Prabhakar Girija forgot the signature he put on the agreement to form the committee.
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Has details of Prachanda, Ban talks

Kathmandu, 31 Oct: The mandate of the UNMIN that ends 23 January 2009 will depend on the speed with which a special integration committee works on unifying Nepal and Maoist PLA, Hari Bahadur Thapa, foreign advisor of Prime Minister Prachanda said.
Thapa was giving details of discussion between Prachanda and Ban Friday.
Ban, he said, sought from Prachanda details of the work of the committee just formed by government but boycotted by main opposition Nepali Congress.
Thapa described the Ban, Prachanda talks as a continuation of a dialogue that started in New York during the UN general assembly session in September.
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Govt for integrated talks with tarai parties

Kathmandu, 31 Ocr: Peace Minister Janardhan Sharma Prabhakar said Friday government is for a joint dialogue with tarai parties.
Government has established contacts with at least nine tarai parties to discuss regional demands.
The tarai parties have themselves formed an integrated front to approach the government.
No firm dates have been set to initiate the dialogue.
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