NEPAL PLAYS CANADA IS WORLD CUP CRICKET QUALIFIER

NEPAL PLAYS CANADA WEDNESDAY IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Kathmandu, 3 Aug.: Nepal plays Canada in the ICC U-19 World Qualifier on Dublin, Ireland, Wednesday.
Nepal has won against Afghanistan, Kenya and Vanuatu but lost against Scotland.
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PM FLOATS PACKAGE DEAL

Kathmandu, 3 Aug.: Amid fast approaching deadline of the Constituent Assembly (CA) and uncertainty over the progress in peace, statute and power-sharing before it, leaders close to Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal have been quietly working on a framework for a package deal addressing all outstanding issues and envisioning a rotational government, sources said, according to Bhadra Sharma in The Kathmandu Post.
In a hastily organised background briefing for journalists on Tuesday, PMO officials provided details of the tentative proposal for agreement. The move appears to be part of efforts by Khanal and his team to frame the discussion away from the controversies surrounding the Cabinet reshuffle—towards the prospect of substantial progress in peace, constitution and power-sharing. The proposal seemingly designed to win over both Khanal’s own party—CPN-UML—and Nepali Congress, appears to be a last-ditch attempt by the prime minister to forge consensus on crucial issues.
The draft proposal prepared by the Minister for Prime Minister’s Office Affairs, Ghanshyam Bhusal, in consultation with the prime minister and senior leaders of the major political parties seeks to bring the major parties together on peace and constitution prior to the expiry of the CA’s tenure on Aug 31. The draft contains a series of deadlines to be met before the end of this month in relation to ending the dual security of Maoist leaders, initiating the process of regrouping of former Maoist combatants, agreement on number, modality, rank-harmonisation and rehabilitation package.
The revelation of the draft proposal comes a day after Khanal announced to step down if he failed to expedite the peace process substantially by Aug 13.
“If the Maoist leadership does not cooperate with the prime minister in speeding up the integration process he will not remain in power before Aug 13. He [prime minister] has already conveyed the same message to the Maoist chairman as well,” one prime prime ministerial aide said.
The action plan also envisions the formation of a rotational government for the completion of the peace and statute writing processes on the basis of consensus even if any party does not accept the government led by another party. Three major political parties, Maoists, Nepali Congress and UCPN (Maoist), will run the government on rotation basis.
Leaders from both the ruling partners and the main opposition NC also admitted that talks are underway for quite sometime on the formation of a national consensus government.
Maoist leader Devendra Poudel, who is close to Baburam Bhattarai, also said the parties have been discussing informally a formation of a national consensus government after agreement on key issues of integration of former Maoist combatants.
“Agreement between us [Maoist] and the UML only will not yield positive results.
So, we are also discussing with the Congress. However, there has not been any concrete agreement about moving ahead,” Poudel
said. Leaders in the Baidya camp in the Maoist party could not be immediately reached for comments.
NC General Secretary Prakash Man Singh said the effectiveness of the package deal will depend on the very content of the proposal, which is yet to be handed over to the parties. “If the action plan proposes only a piece-meal solution, it does not make sense. But if the government comes up with a package deal addressing issues, including the number of Maoist combatants to be integrated into security forces, modalities, rank harmonisation, norms and rehabilitation package, we could support it,” Singh said.
According to the draft proposal, the party leading the first rotational government will be at the helm until November 30, if the CA term is extended. The tenure of the first rotational government will come to an end after the new constitution is promulgated.
The second government will remain in power from six to nine months with the responsibility of finalising issues related to state restructuring and legislation of relevant laws for a federal system.
The third government, which will also get a maximum of nine months, will be responsible for holding the next parliamentary elections.
However, sources close to the PM said that he will not step down to pave way for another majority government. “A majority commanding prime minister will not step down for another majority government,” Khanal’s Press Advisor Surya Thapa said.
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BIG THREE, FRONT INCH CLOSER ON STATE RESTRUCTURING
Kathmandu 3 Aug.: The Big Three and Madhesh-based parties have inched closer to a deal that could, if sealed, end longstanding debate over state restructuring, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The parties said they are closer to an agreement on forming an expert group, instead of a "state restructuring commission (SRC)", to recommand an appropriate model for delineation of federal states.
For the last two years, NC has been advocating the formation of SRC, which the Madhes-based parties oppose stating that such a commission would undermine the role of the Constituent Assembly.
In Tuesday's meeting of the Big Three and Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, the latter objected to the proposal for the formation of SRC but suggested forming an expert panel, to which other parties responded positively.
The State Restructuring Committee under CA has proposed a 14-state model in the federal set up, but the parties have serious differences over the model. There has been general agreement that the Committee's model should be reviewed.
Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Ganatantrik Chairman Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta said review was necessary as the terms under which the State Restructuring Committee was built have become obsolete.
The Committee had identified viability and identity as the two major bases for restructuring the state. These bases, Gupta said, are not sufficient in the changed context. He said the 14-state model could be reviewed by the expert panel.
During the discussion, UCPN (Maoist) representatives said that they would not object to the formation of either the expert panel or the commission if NC and Madhes-based parties agree to it.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jhala Khanal suggested that the opinion of experts be sought in regard to the report of the State Restructuring Committee. The two sides have decided to meet again on Thursday to take the issue further.
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REGROUPING EX-FIGHTERS A BATTLE AGAINST TIME

Kathmandu, 3 Aug.: With three major parties — the UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML — yet to enter into formal discussions regarding modality of integration of Maoist ex-fighters, norm, number, rank and rehabilitation package, completion of major tasks related to peace process is next to impossible by August 31. Lekhanath Pandey writes in.The Himalayan Times.

Nonetheless, categorisation of former Maoist combatants is a must to determine who all want to be integrated into the security forces and who want to be rehabilitated. “The issue has been unresolved for the past four years,” says Balananda Sharma, Coordinator of the Secretariat under the Special Committee (for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants). “If we have to conclude the peace process, we must step on the gas now.”

After the Constituent Assembly term was extended for three months on May 28, SC had come up with a time-bound calendar that the categorisation process would begin on June 28 with an aim to complete it by August 27.

“Now, we have lost the basis for following the calendar,” says a Maoist member in SC. “As a matter of fact, its relevance is over.”

Had things been carried forward as per the calendar, half of some 19,000 plus combatants would have been categorised by now. But, in the wake of bickering among the major three parties, the SC Secretariat has not been able to deploy its teams to Maoist cantonments to carry out categorisation process.

“We need a clear picture regarding integration modality, rank, number and rehabilitation package before we start,” says Kul Prasad KC, a Maoist member in the Secretariat. “We are not in a position to say when and how the categorisation will begin.” Now, even SC members have lost hopes that the process would conclude before August 27. A Nepali Congress member says, “It would be an achievement if we can commence the process before the expiry of CA term.”

But to add insult to the injury, today’s SC meeting was also called off.

The Office of the Prime Minister said it was put off as per the request from NC leader Ramchandra Paudel. But Paudel later told this daily that he suggested to call off the meeting after he was told by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal that no progress had been made on the issue since the Maoist central committee meeting.
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MAOIST FIRST VICE-CHAIRMAN WARNS AGAINST PRE-CONDITIONS

Kathmandu, Aug. 2 - Vice-chairman of UCPN-Maoist Mohan Baidhya ‘Kiran’ has said that the promise by Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal in rolling the peace process ahead could not materialise only by raising past issues.
Speaking with the media, Kiran said that the peace process could not move ahead as issues of UCPN-Maoist raised by the parties were from the time of state emergency.
"It is impossible to deceive the UCPN-Maoist by setting lots of preconditions," he claimed.
He made it clear that no consensus could be forged on any topic by neglecting the largest party or without cooperating with it and said that his party was fully committed to go with the timeframe outlined by the Prime Minister. However, he said that the Prime Minister should make efforts in solving problems rather than putting forth preconditions.
Emphasising taking back the accusations hurled on his leaders and cadres, Baidhya said that modality, norms, leadership, obligations and other topics should be determined before moving the task of regrouping of combatants ahead.
According to him, though the Prime Minister was elected by his party, the resignation of the Prime Minister would not have any impact on his party any longer.
Emphasising that peace and constitution should go ahead simultaneously, he argued that by neglecting one topic, another could not go ahead.
Referring to the reshuffle of the cabinet by his party, he said that it had been made to ensure more inclusive party representation. Their oath of office would not hinder the search for consensus, he added.
He informed that the initial expansion of the cabinet was done on the basis of the agreement with the Prime Minister, and claimed that the agreement had also been made to swear in the remaining state ministers.
Referring to the House obstruction by Nepali Congress (NC) as the right of the opposition party, he suggested to NC that it should move ahead with talks to unbolt the hindrance.
According to him, the UCPN-Maoist was entitled to lead the upcoming government in consensus with parties. Vice-chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai would lead the new government, he added.
Emphasising that the constitution should be written in the Nepalese model by considering the people’s mandates, he said that the constitution should consider problems of Nepal and Nepali people rather than copying it from elsewhere.
Blaming NC for raising past issues, Baidhya claimed that the paramilitary structure of the Young Communist League (YCL) had already been dissolved, almost all captured property had been returned and, if some remained to be returned, the party was ready for talks.
He said that those raising the demand for returning the captured property should also raise issues of resolving the problems of the landless.
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