SUSHIL KOIRALA, PRACHANDA PARLEY

THREE PARTIES PREPARING COMMON CONCEPT FOR NATIONAAL UNDERSTANDING

Kathmandu 21 May: Three ruling parties—UCPN (Maoist, UML and MJFN—at a summit meet Saturday morning decided to prepare a concept for national understanding.
The move comes amid demand by main opposition NC for the dissolution of the three-month communist majority government led by Jhalanath Khanal and its replacement by a national government.
The NC made public Saturday its position on the peace process and constitution Friday at a huge public meet in the capital.
The details were made public in addresses by more than one dozen top leaders, including President Sushil Koirala, three-time Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Parliamentary Party Leader Ram Chandra Paudel.
Meanwhile, Koirala began discussions Saturday morning with Maoist Chairman Prachanda on its 10-point pre-conditions for extending support to a government proposal for extending by one more year after 28 May a tenure of the constituent assembly (CA) to complete a draft of a proposed constitution.
Parties agree the second deadline to complete a draft won’t be met eight days later will be missed.
NC is against an extension if Maoists don’t come up with an acceptable and firm proposal by Tuesday to complete the peace process.
The main opposition is demanding dismantling Maoist paramilitary units, disarmament and integration and resettlement of 19,000 former combatants in the next three months,
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HOME MINISTER CONFIRMS ATTEMPT TO WITHDRAW CRIMINAL CHARGES
Kathmandu, 21 May: Maoist Deputy Prime Minister, who is also home minister, demanded charges leveled against persons for actions during the 10-year Maoist insurgency should be withdrawn with consensus.
“Cases related to conflict time are against the spirit of the comprehensive peace agreement and they should be withdrawn However, political consensus is a must in this regard,” he told reporters Friday in his first news conference as home minister.
He didn’t confirm or deny a query criminal charges were being withdrawn
‘Political cases related with anybody, shouldn’t continue,” he added.
’How to handle cases leveled on specific political foundations should be considered. Such problems should be resolved politically. Otherwise, the political situation will deteriorate.”
Maoists withdrew cases against their workers during the brief nine-month they were in office two years ago when Chairman Prachanda headed a Maoist-led government,
The fresh Maoist plan to withdraw criminal charges against political party workers comes amid criticism of the communist-majority government for the appointment of Agni Sapkota as communication minister; Sapkota has been charged for abducting and murdering a youth during the insurgency.
USA denied him a visa on 2010 to enter attend annual UN general assembly session in September,
Successive governments, including the previous government of Madhav Kumar Nepal, have attempted to withdraw criminal charges against pardon persons close to government
Supreme court has intervened in some cases.
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MINGMA SHERPA FIRST NEPALI TO SCALE WORLD’S 14 TALLEST PEAKS

Kathmandu, 21 May: Mingma Sherpa Friday became the first Nepal to scale all 14 eight thousand meter high peaks in the world by scaling the 8586 meters high Kangchengunja, the third tallest peak, on the Nepal/Sikkim border Friday.
Mingma hails from Sankhuwasabha.
Eight of the 14 peaks are in Nepal; others are in China and Pakistan.
Sixty-five climbers Friday stood atop the 8848 meters high Mount Everest , the world’s tallest peak, ministry of tourism said,
American Neal beidleman, 51, was among the 65 persons to set foot atop Everest Friday
He survived in 1996 during descent from the summit after a successful first ascent.
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FOREIGN SECRETARY LEAVING FOR INDONESIA

Kathmandu, 21 May: Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai leaves for Bali, Indonesia, leading a three-member delegation to the 16th summit of non-aligned movement (NAM)
He returns next Sunday.
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BANGLADESHI HELD WITH FORGED NEPALI CITIZENSHIP

Kathmandu, 21 May: Bangladeshi national Mohammad Rana was arrested in the capital with a forged Nepali passport.
He was holding a citizenship certificate of Ramesh Raman Khanal.
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SALARY HIKE DIFFERENCES PERSIST
Kathmandu, 21 May: Trade unions are divided over Ministry of Labour and Transport Management’s move to implement its April 16 agreement with eight minor trade unions on minimum wages. The April 16 agreement followed an earlier deal signed between the employers and three largest trade unions on March 24, The Himalayan Times reports.

The labour ministry is planning to implement the April 16 agreement — reached between Minister for Labour and Transport Management Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and eight trade unions — by publishing it in the government gazette some time next week. The agreement has hiked minimum salary to Rs 6,200, including Rs 500 increase in basic salary plus Rs 1,100 price hike allowance. Similarly, daily wages have been hiked to Rs 231.

The March 24 agreement between three major trade unions — All Nepal Trade Union Federation, General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions, Nepal Trade Union Congress — Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Confederation of Nepalese Industries had increased the minimum salary to Rs 6,100, with Rs 50 hike in basic salary plus Rs 1,550 price hike allowance. The agreement had fixed daily wages to Rs 226, along with social security for workers.

ANTUF, GEFONT and NTUC are not in a mood to accept anything less than March 24 agreement. “We are following MoLTM plans closely and won’t accept any change in the agreement that was signed between us, FNCCI and CNI,” said GEFONT President Bishnu Rijal. “ANTUF, GEFONT and NTUC will collectively respond soon.”

Employers too are against the MoLTM plan because once the April 16 agreement is published in the gazette the earlier deal negotiated and signed by FNCCI and CNI becomes null and void, which they say will belittle the authoritative umbrella organisations. “The move, I’m afraid, will further deteriorate industrial environment,” said FNCCI Vice President Pradeep Jung Pandey. He advised the ministry to stop the process and save the industrial sector from facing more troubles.

Signatory trade unions of the April 16 agreement, on the other hand, have asked the government to implement the deal at the earliest. “As the April 16 agreement has been endorsed by the Minimum Wage Fixation Committee and the ministry, it must be implemented at the earliest,” said Dhirendra Kumar Singh, President of Nepal Factory Labour Union.

MoLTM officials confirmed that the ministry was planning to implement the agreement signed between eight trade unions and the ministry. “MoLTM will publish the agreement in the government gazette in a couple of days,” said Krishnahari Pushkar, Co-Spokesperson for the ministry but stopped short of commenting on brewing disputes.
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PORTS
HOUSE BILL PANEL OKAYS AML AMENDMENT BILL
POST REPORT-
Kathmandu, 21 May: At a time when Nepal is being criticised for the slow progress it is making over measures on anti-money laundering (AML), the Bill Committee of the Parliament on Friday finalised a bill to amend the Anti-Money Laundering Act., The Kathmandu Post reports

This is the first major task on AML completed by Nepal. The country has recently made fresh commitments to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on AML and on combating the financing of terrorism (CFT).

Nepal had pledged to complete the mutual evaluation report by May 25 and give a final shape to the five-year plan on AML in the FATF’s Regional Review Meeting held in Macau on May 14. A high-level government team, including the central bank governor, finance secretary and law secretary, had gone to Macau for the meeting.

As per the commitments, the Parliament of Nepal has to endorse two international conventions—UN Convention against Terrorist Financing and UN Convention against Organised Crime—along with two bills—Anti-Money Laundering Act (First Amendment) and Mutual Legal Assistance—to avoid being blacklisted. “The finalisation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (First Amendment) by the Bill Committee is the first welcome step,” said a senior NRB official.

According to the NRB, the Anti-Money Laundering Act (First Amendment) has improved the definition of money laundering and terrorist financing. It has also expanded the number of people in the national coordination committee on AML and its functions.

Earlier, the finance secretary, law secretary, home secretary, and NRB deputy governors were members of the committee. Now, the committee will have representation from the Nepal Police, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General also. Once the bill is endorsed by the Parliament, the national coordination committee on AML will also get limited executive powers on AML.

Likewise, punishment and fines on AML has also been made stringent. “The bill has a separate penalty on AML and terrorist financing,” said the NRB official. “Likewise, fines to be imposed on banks and financial institutions who fail to report to the Financial Information Unit (FIU) of the NRB have also been hiked.”

Nepal had assured both the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) and the FATF that it will fulfill its commitments within December 2010. Political turmoil in the country has, however, stalled the initiatives taken by the government.

Nepal is under international scrutiny for its ‘failure’ to live up to its AML commitments. In 2010, the taskforce had dispatched two letters to the government, asking it to act fast on anti-money laundering measures. An FATF plenary held in Paris through Feb 20-22 had asked Nepal to comply with anti-money laundering measures within four months.

FATF’s annual meeting may blacklist Nepal if it fails to meet all its commitments by June 7. During his recent visit to Nepal, APG Executive Secretary Gordon Hook had also warned of Nepal being blacklisted.

The FATF’s annual meeting to be held in Mexico through June 23-25 will decide whether to blacklist Nepal. Last year, FATF had categorised Nepal among 20 countries as seriously deficient in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. It alleged that Nepal was posing a risk to the international financial system.
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