ONE DEAD, TWO INJURED, FOUR MISSING IN HEEP ACCIDENT

Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: A soldier died and two others went missing Saturday when an army Toyota jeep fell into Marshyangdhi river at Akashbhir in Lamjung.
Four soldiers were seriously injured and are undergoing treatment in the a capital.
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UKRANIAN NATIONAL ARRESTED

Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: Ukranian national Amintapid Diaro was arrested before boarding a flight of Qatar Airways Friday night with 10 kg hashish.
The hash was concealed in two suitcases bound for Moscow.
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17 ARRESTED WITH HOME-BREWED LIQUOR

Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: Seventeen persons were arrested Saturday during raids in Baudha where 711 liters of home-brewed liquor was seized.
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PRESIDENT CONCERNED WITH DELAYED PROCESSES

Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav Saturday urged party leaders to remain at home for one month to complete constitution drafting.
“I’ll coordinate with political party leaders for constitution drafting and the peace process without going anywhere for month. Let’s conclude
peace in the coming six months. This is my wish and the wish of all
Nepali brothers,” he said Saturday addressing the golden jubilee
celebrations of Jiri Higher Secondary School Dolakha.
The president made the public suggestion amid criticism leaders of major political parties were going abroad on junkets while constitution drafting and completing the peace process have been stalled.
Leaders of three major parties flew to Sweden to discuss constitution drafting—a task they haven’t fulfilled at home while Prime
Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal
just returned from extended tours of Cambodia, Europe and South Africa.
The ceremonial president said he was concerned with the slow progress in constitution drafting.
“This is not the time to quarrel,” he said reminding listeners the gains of 2007 and 2046 weren’t institutionalized.
Yadav made the suggestion as PM Nepal, returning from his junket,
denied the president advised him not to travel abroad.
Nepal justifying his foreign trips even claimed his foreign travels didn’t obstruct the delayed processes,
The president hoped all would be serious and there’s be no communal clash between Hindus and Muslims like in neighbouring India.
Only 22 weeks, or less than six months remain, to promulgate a constitution to institutionalize a declared republic by 28 May 2011.
‘The remaining six months should be utilized by everyone to the maximum
to give the country a new constitution and peace,” he said.
“My responsibility will be completed by going to the constituent
assembly to declare a constitution prepared by representatives of the people,” the president added.
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MAOISTS PROPOSE NC-UML GOVT.; PAUDEL
THIRA L BHUSAL
Kathmandu, 12 Dec. UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has now proposed that the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML should form a majority government and his party was ready to play the role of a constructive opposition. Tirtha L. Bhusal reports in Republica.

NC parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel told Republica that Dahal floated this proposal to him and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal recently.

"The deadlock is not good for the country and we should not prolong it any further. The NC and UML should now form a new coalition government. We are ready to play the role of a constructive opposition party to conclude the peace process and write the constitution," Paudel quoted Dahal as saying.

Paudel claimed that Dahal had also said the same thing to UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal just before the latter left for South Africa. "Later on, I took up the matter with Khanal and he said he would consult other leaders and reach a decision," Paudel said.

Asked how serious Dahal´s proposal was, Paudel said, "He seemed pretty serious when he talked to me and he hasn´t told me that he has changed his mind." However, he acknowledged that the Maoists have a history of changing their stances.

Paudel said he also discussed it with UML General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel at the NC parliamentary party office at Singha Durbar last week when all the other top UML leaders -- Chairman Khanal, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Sharma Oli -- had gone abroad.

"Pokharel suggested that the Maoists should also be a part of the new coalition. I am not opposed to that, but the Maoists themselves have said they want to remain in the opposition," Paudel said.
"The deadlock is not good for the country and we should not prolong it any further. The NC and UML should now form a new coalition government. We are ready to play the role of a constructive opposition to conclude the peace process and write the constitution," Paudel quoted Dahal as saying.
Paudel further claimed that he has discussed the Maoist chairman´s proposal with Prime Minister Madhav Nepal and the latter was positive about it.

UML Chairman Khanal, however, refuted that any proposal as such had been forwarded to him by Dahal.

"The latest proposal that we are discussing are the two models of power sharing during the remaining period of the transition -- presidium and rotational prime minister," said Khanal, adding, "I am not formally aware of any new proposal."

A senior UML leader, however, confided that the Maoist chairman did indeed float a proposal that the UML and NC should take into confidence the smaller parties and form the new government.

The UML leader said the upcoming central committee meeting of his party will take a formal decision on the proposal.

Paudel said it is now up to the UML whether it wants to break the political deadlock or protract it.

"The ball is now in the UML court," Paudel said.
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ICAO WANTS CITIZENSHIP VERIFIED IN MRP
Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: Amidst the existence of rackets involved in procuring passports through any means, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has expressed serious concern to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) over the existing system for issuing passports. Republica reports.

At a meeting held between officials at MoFA recently, ICAO officials expressed concern over the system of issuing passports without verifying citizenship.
The ICAO officials expressed their worry that the existing system could encourage fraudsters to acquire passport through crooked means.

Sources said ICAO has requested MoFA officials to make arrangements to issue Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) only after verifying the citizenship papers and also to make police reports mandatory to check possible misuse.

“It is meaningless to issue passports without verifying the citizenship certificates,” a source close to MoFA quoted the ICAO officials as saying. “The numbers of those acquiring fake passports will be greater than persons with bona fide passports if the existing system remains in place any further.”

Currently, issuing of passports has been centralized at MoFA. MoFA sends copies of citizenship certificates to the district headquarters concerned for verification only if officials suspect them to be fake.

Though all necessary preparations have already been made to issue MRPs, MoFA has not been able to decide a date for the issue due to the prolonged absence of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. Prime Minister Nepal returned home only on Friday after a 10-day visit to Cambodia and Belgium.
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SUSHIL KOIRALA VOWS





Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: President of Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala Saturday said that he would withstand all pressures to work as per the party rules and regulations.
Speaking at an interaction organised by the Democratic Thought Society in the capital, he said that he was ready to quit the party instead of compromising its rules and regulations.
"I have always given priority to establishing rules and regulations in the party and will not compromise with any group and other pressures to go against the party norms," he said.
He said that the party was no faction and groupism in the party and added the dispute on the central working committee’s nomination proposal for vice-president and general secretary was small.
He urged the NC leaders to take their responsibilities to maintain party unity.
Koirala clarified that NC would stand strongly for democratic norms, press freedom and human rights and said that the new constitution would have unchangeable provisions on democracy, press freedom, human rights and multiparty system.
He said that the Maoist chairman’s views about turning universities and colleges into barracks were against the peace agreement and the speech had created a crisis of confidence in national politics.
Minister for Energy Dr. Prakash Saran Mahat said that the president would act for party unity and urged him to give equal chances for all leaders in the party.
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DEUBA CAMP PUSHING KB GURUNG’S CANDIDACY

Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: The Deuba faction in NC is pushing the candidacy of KB Gurung for general secretary to foil the plan of President Sushil Koirala to nominate Krishna Prasad Shitaula, Kantipur reports.
Central leaders of the party reached a decision Saturday at the residence of Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Gurung’s name was suggested to stop the appointment of Shitaula who is a junior.
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NEPAL AGAIN DRAGGED BY INDIA

Kathmandu, 12 Dec.: Indian Army Chief Deepak Kapoor has told American officials over16 terrorists traveled to Kashmir through Nepal last year, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The revelation came in the latest release of US diplomatic cables by KikiLeaks.
During a meeting between US National Security Advisor James Jones, Indian Defence Minister A.L. Anthony who was accompanied by Gen. Kapoor and other officials on June 26 last year.
Kapoor expressed concerns ’some part of the huge US military package for Pakistan will find its way to the hands of terrorists targeting India’.
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