NC, UML REJECT MAOIST-LED GOVT.

Kathmandu, 25 Jan.: NC and UML—two of the Big Three- Tuesday rejected a government led by main opposition Maoists with only 24 hours remaining before a second presidential deadline ends Wednesday to assemble a government of national consensus.
UML leader Pradip Geywali said Tuesday Saturday’s transfer of the chain of command and control of 19,000 plus Maoists in 28 cantonments and satellite camps under previous watch of departing UNMIN to a special committee for monitoring, integration and resettlement headed by the prime minister was inadequate.
The command laws handed over to the committee from the party.
NC and UML asked Maoists to cooperate informing a government under another party as NC reiterated a claim to lead a government to replace an administration led by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal who resigned 30 June 2010.
If a consensus government isn’t assembled by Wednesday the president will ask parliament to form a majority government.
Parliament meets later Tuesday to approve an amendment to parliamentary procedure to ensure a conclusive vote after 16 failed attempts to find a successor of the Madhav Kumar Nepal government.
Maoists, as the largest party, have been pushing a government led by Chairman Prachanda.
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NINE DEAD INGORKHA BUS ACCIDENT

Kathmandu, 25 Jan.: At least nine persons died and 22 were injured, 10 seriously, when a local bus plunged 50 meters off a narrow road in the district Tuesday afternoon.
Eight passengers died on the spot.
Some of the seriously injured have been rushed to the capital for treatment.
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NEPAL’S FIRST OLYMPIAN DEAD

Kathmandu, 25 Jan.: Ganga Bahadur Thapa, 84, Nepal’s first Olympian, died Tuesday while undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital for high blood pressure.
He participated in the 18th Tokyo Olympics in 1964.
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NEPAL, EU MEMORANDUM

Kathmandu, 25 Jan.: Nepal and EU signed a 60 million euro memorandum of understanding (MoU) Tuesday for continued assistance by the Union to EU is a major development partner of Nepal.
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KHANAL SLAPPER FREED

Kathmandu, 25 Jan.: Sunsari district administration Monday released Debi Prasad Regmi on a Rs 1,000 bail after apologizing for slapping UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal in the district at a public function last week.
The incident was the first incident of its kind in the country.
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AISC to add three more members





Kathmandu, Jan 24 - The meeting of Army Integration Special Committee (AISC), held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Monday decided to add three more members to its six-member special mechanism formed to monitor and rehabilitate the Maoist combatants in the aftermath of UNMIN’s departure.
The decision came in response to Madhesi parties that had been insisting that the mechanism lacked the Madhesi representatives.
The meeting also discussed the action plan on the rehabilitation and integration of the combatants.
Talking to the media people, UCPN-Maoist leader Janardhan Sharma said that the meeting decided to include three members in the special mechanism in consideration with the dissatisfactions of Madhesi parties.

He said that they decided to hold talks with top leaders and the people of different walks of life in regards to the modality of the integration and rehabilitation.
Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum leader Jaya Prakash Gupta said that the next AISC meeting would be held within one or two days after the major parties struck consensus on the modality of the integration.
The government has unveiled its action plan in which it sought first to fix the number of combatants to be integrated into the state’s security agencies and then proceed with the plan, and rehabilitation package for them.
During the meeting, Nepali Congress representatives expressed their regret for not mentioning the contributions of late Girija Prasad Koirala at the handover ceremony of combatants in Shaktikhor.
Late Koirala had a played vital role in the peace process but sadly his name was not uttered during the function, they complained.

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PM POLL WILL END INTHIRD ROUND

KATHMANDU: A five-member panel formed to draft amendment to the Parliamentary regulations has suggested that the Parliament should conduct the prime ministerial election only for three rounds.

The draft proposal, prepared by the panel led by Maoist CA member Ekraj Bhandari, was tabled at today’s House session for approval. The proposal is expected to be endorsed during tomorrow’s House session.

The panel is hopeful that with the amendment to the regulations, the Parliament will be able to elect a prime minister on majority basis under the Article 38 (2) of the interim constitution.

The parties had agreed to amend the Parliamentary regulations after the House failed to elect a prime minister even after 16 rounds of elections.

The new provision has it that if there is only one proposal (for the prime minister) under the Article 38 (2) of the interim constitution, the candidate has to garner majority votes from the existing strength of the Parliament. But failure to secure majority votes will enable the Speaker to end the election process. However, the lawmakers will be allowed to vote either in favour of or against the candidate.

In case of two proposals, both will be tabled together in the House for decision. The lawmakers are required to vote only in favour (not against) of one of the candidates. Hence, one of the two candidates getting majority votes will be elected as PM. If both the candidates fail to secure majority votes, the Speaker will scrap the election process and call for a fresh one.

If there are three or more than three proposals, all will be tabled together for decision. If none of the candidates gets majority in the first and second round of election, only first two candidates securing highest numbers of votes will remain in the race for the third time. Keeping in mind the December 17 verdict of the Supreme Court, lawmakers cannot stay neutral nor can they remain absent.

The Parliament had failed to elect a new prime minister even after 16 rounds of polling, as the then Parliamentary regulations allowed lawmakers either to stay neutral or remain absent during the voting.

Agni Kharel, one of the members of the five-member panel, said new provision would help elect the prime minister.
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Why Maoists didn't hand over PLA flag

Kathmandu, 25 Jan 24: The UCPN (Maoist) on Saturday changed its mind about handing over the PLA flag to Prime Minister Madhav Nepal at the eleventh hour because flag handover would have meant PLA´s surrender or defeat, Kiran Chapgin reports in Republic.

The initial plan was that the Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal would hand over the PLA flag to Prime Minister Nepal to mark the transfer of the chain of command of the PLA to the Special Committee at the handover ceremony held at Shaktikhor, Chitwan on Saturday.

Accordingly, the Shaktikhor handover ceremony itinerary sent to invitees, including foreign dignitaries, included the flag handover ceremony as well.

But this particluar event was dropped at the eleventh hour after the Maoist chairman objected to it and threatened to cancel the whole function if Prime Minister Nepal insisted on flag handover.

Prime Minister Nepal bowed to the demand even without consulting other Special Committee memebers given the sensitivity of the issue and its potential to spoil the whole function, according to a Baluwatar source. "I came to know that the flag handover event was dropped at the eleventh hour," said Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, who was among those who finalized the ceremony itinerary.

It is believed that someone from the international community alerted the Maoist leadership and informed it about the symbolism of handing over of the PLA flag after going through the itinerary or at the eleventh hour itself. It is customary in war situations that the defeated army hands over its flag to the victor army.

Mahat, who is also a Special Committee member, told Republica that he, during the Special Committee meeting on Monday, asked the prime minister as to why the flag handover was dropped at the eleventh hour.

"The prime minister told me that he took the decision to salvage the combatant handover process," said Mahat.

Home Minister Bhim Rawal, who was also the memebr of the handover ceremony arrangement committee, had prepared the itinerary, which was agreed by Maoist leader Barsa Man Pun.

"To us, signing a statement announcing the hand over of the PLA to the Special Committee was important than turning in the flag. So we opted to sign the statement," said Pun, who asked not to blow up the issue.
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