MAOISTS SAY NO TO MULTI-PARTY SYSTEM EVEN IF THAT MEANS NO CONSTITUTION

Kathmandu, 3 Dec.: One day after Maoists said the main opposition and the biggest party in constituent assembly (CA)/parliament won’t accept a multi-party system even that means a constitution won’t be promulgated, a Prachanda-led task force began discussions Friday morning to remove differences on 230 contentious issues on a basis law
“We won’t accept multi-party system. There can be no understanding on this under any circumstance.
“Let the constitution not be drafted. We’re ready to face that situation,” Deb Gurung, Maoist member of the task force said after Thursday’s inconclusive meeting.
Only six months remain to promulgate a constitution to institutionalize a republic that was declared more than two years ago after toppling a 238-year old monarchy that created a modern Nepal by unifying hundreds of principalities.
The dominant communist party which aims to establish a communist state in strategic central Asia between Asian giants, India and China, said without mincing words Thursday multi-party system is unacceptable to it
NC and UML, the second and third largest parties in the CA/parliament, rejected the Maoist position Thursday.
The Prachanda force has to submit its progress report Speaker Subash
Nemwang 11 December.
There are differences between major parties on eight of 11 themes
for incorporation in a constitution.
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PM NEPAL HONOURED

Kathmandu, 3 Dec.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal was awarded the Lifetime Award by the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Phnom Penh , Cambodia, Thursday.
The premier called for direct diplomatic ties between Nepal and Caambodia.
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UN OFFICIAL ARRIVES FRIDAY

Kathmandu, 3 Dec.: UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe arrives Friday via New Delhi probably for his last Nepal visit as UNMIN, the political arms of the world body in Nepal, prepares to return home 15 January 2011 after a dismal and failed mission to the Himalayan state.
UN was invited by political parties to oversee the 2008 elections of the constituent assembly and the integration and resettlement of 19,000 plus former Maoist PLA combatants into the state security agencies and society. Four years after the invitation to the UN, the former communist combatants haven’t been integrated and resettled.
Maoists said clearly Wednesday the biggest political in Nepal won’t
accept a multi-party system proposed by liberal democratic parties.
This means a state of limbo or transition will continue indefinitely with the nation and people suffering as a result of foreign meddling.
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INDIAN AMBASSADOR GREETED WITH BLACK FLAGS

Kathmandu, 3 Dec.: Maoist activists chanting anti-India slogans Thursday greeted Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood with black flags as he arrived in Dhankuta Thursday.
They boycotted a function in which Sood inaugurated a school constructed with Indian assistance.
Maoists hurled shoes at the ambassador for alleged anti-China activities when he visited Solu in the autumn.
Government hasn’t taken action against Maoists, including a lawmaker for hurling shoes, as demanded by India.
Government officials criticized Sood for flouting diplomatic practice by-passing the foreign ministry to raise the issue with the home ministry.
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TRADE, COMMERCE, ECONOMY

BEARISH TREND CONTNUES IN NEPSE; BRITISH FIRM BUYS SINGAPORE INTEREST IN TARAGAON REGENCY

Kathmandu, 3 Dec.: A bearish trend continued in Nepse for the second consecutive week as total trading turnover jumped.
Altogether 1.47 million shares were traded for Rs. 143.06 million in five-day trading ending Thursday in 1, 460 transactions.
Nepse index fell 3.19 points as the market closed at 4/8.88 points; the index fell 1/71 points Wednesday.
Altogether 1.37 million shares of Taragaon Regency were traded this week for Rs 112.82 million.
Banking group sub-index plummeted 6.08 points/
Dominion Investment Ltd of United Kingdom bought the shares of Asian Finance Investment and Investment Ltd. of Singapore.
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PM FOR POVERTY ALLIEVATION DRIVE

PM FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION DRIVE



Kathmandu, 3 Dec.: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Thursday called for making poverty alleviation as the over-arching goal as the majority of peoples in the Asian countries were living in poverty, The Rising Nepal reports.
"As a large chunk of the population of most of the countries represented in the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAAP) consists of poor and under-nourished, and have been worst affected by vagaries of climate change, we should make every effort to focus on poverty alleviation as the over-arching goal of ours," PM Nepal said while addressing the Sixth General Assembly of ICAPP in Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
PM Nepal observed that political parties were the most widely recognised democratic instruments for popular mobilisation and promotion of the wellbeing of the common people and they had very crucial roles to play in enlightening and empowering the people for building a just, equitable and prosperous human society.
It is in this context that the importance of the roles and responsibilities of political leaders need to be understood and assessed, he said and added that the ICAPP had attracted political parties of all hues and colours – leftists, rightists and centrists – from South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia, West Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific as well making it a truly broad-based international political forum.
"Understandably, the clean image and efficiency of the political party leaders becomes a source of great moral authority. As such, state funding of political parties would help to promote transparency, accountability and value-based politics," PM Nepal said.
He said that ICAPP continued to provide a very useful platform for constructive engagement and joint cooperative endeavour for the betterment of human life and general human wellbeing across the region and beyond.
"ICAPP has a great role to play in the contemporary world of widening disparities and economic marginalisation by engaging in the promotion of global peace, justice and prosperity."
He said that the Phnom Penh meeting will add a new chapter in further promoting better understanding and fruitful co-operation among the countries, political parties and leaders of our region by identifying new areas of co-operation for our collective advantage.
The PM noted that Nepal, as current Chair of the Group of the Least Developed Countries, was especially concerned over the continuing plight of the poor people in these countries who had to struggle every day even for the bare necessities of life.
Shedding light on the political development in Nepal, the PM said that his country had undergone a systemic change and was now in the process of institutionalising that political transformation by writing a new democratic constitution through an elected Constituent Assembly.
He said that he had spared no efforts in upholding democracy, rule of law and national reconciliation in the country.
"While we work hard to conclude the peace process and promulgate the new constitution, we also make concerted attempts to bring about rapid social and economic development in the country in consonance with the rising aspirations of our people," he added.
PM Nepal stated that Nepal and Cambodia enjoyed cordial and friendly relations that have good prospects for further enhancement in various fields including tourism,

cultural and archaeological aspects.
"The sacred birthplace of Lord Buddha in Lumbini of Nepal has provided a strong sense of connectedness between the peoples of our two countries. As a peaceful and peace loving country, Nepal is continuously engaged in spreading the message of peace across the world while also actively participating in the UN peacekeeping missions," he noted.
The main theme of the Assembly is ‘Asia’s Quest for a Better Tomorrow’. Two special workshops - one each on Women Politicians and Youth Political Leaders - were conducted.
The first conference of ICAAP was held in Manila in September 2000, and then in Bangkok (2002), Beijing (2004), Seoul (2006), and Kazakhstan (2009).

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MAOISTS OPPOSE GOVT. PLAN TO BRING COMBATANTS UNDER STATE COMMAND
Kathmandu, 3 Dec.: UCPN-Maoist’s stubborn stance has stalled the process to integrate and rehabilitate PLA combatants, Lekhnath Pandey reports in The Himalayan Times.
Maoists say the integration process can only move ahead after a broader consensus is reached on peace and statute-drafting processes. With just six weeks left for the departure of United Nations Mission in Nepal, time is running out to clinch a deal.

UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, B Lynn Pascoe had advised the parties to give priority to the closure of the cantonments, rather than replacing UNMIN, during his visit in October. He also reiterated the same during his briefing to the Security Council on October 14. “I advised the parties to carry out the integration and rehabilitation of the combatants to facilitate the closure of the cantonments rather than focusing on building an elaborate and expensive supervision and monitoring system to take over the responsibilities from UNMIN,” Pascoe had briefed the UNSC.

He opined that the latter course would only complicate the matters from the political, financial and logistical perspective.

Pascoe will be here tomorrow [Friday] to assess the progress on integration and rehabilitation tasks and the withdrawal of the UNMIN. But, unfortunately, the process towards the closure of the cantonments has not moved an inch.

Contrary to Pascoe’s advice, the Special Committee — a peace mechanism of six major political parties — is transferring the monitoring role of UNMIN over to its secretariat’s head. The secretariat was formed to bring the Maoist combatants under the government’s command and control.

“We want to bring combatants under government’s command and control to facilitate the integration and rehabilitation process,” the Coordinator of the Secretariat Lt Gen (rtd) Balananda Sharma told The Himalayan Times.

“Due to lack of progress on integration process, we are also forced to assume the monitoring responsibility of UNMIN after its departure,” Sharma, who was appointed the coordinator two days, before added. Someone has to take over UNMIN’s role, to avoid a crisis, he added.

Yesterday, Sharma floated a six-week action plan to bring the combatants under the government’s command. Maoist representatives to the 12-member secretariat, however, opposed his proposal, saying. “Integration and rehabilitation process will move only after a package deal on peace and constitution-drafting.”

Though the Maoists had signed an agreement regarding the transfer of command and control of the combatants to the PM-headed Special Committee, Maoist representative to the committee, Janardhan Sharma, today did a U-turn. “The chain of command of the PLA won’t be transferred to the secretariat until parties reached a consensus to solve the political problems facing the country,” he claimed.

The UN sincerely hopes that the process of integration and rehabilitation will move forward and create a conducive environment for orderly withdrawal of its mission, states UNMIN’s spokesperson Kosmos Biswokarma.

But, frequent changing stance of the parties and “package” rhetoric seems, process will only become more complicated.
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INTEGRATE HALF OF THE COMBATANTS; MAOISTS
Kathmandu, 3 Dec.: Unified CPN-Maoist revealed on Thursday that the party had proposed to the Special Committee for Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants to integrate half of the total number of combatants living in the cantonments into different security forces., The Himalayan Times reports.
Politburo member and deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Janardan Sharma said his party had proposed to integrate only half of the UNMIN-verified combatants and rehabilitate the remaining.
He was addressing an interaction.
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