BREAKTHROUGH N TRILATERAL SUMMIT DEVELOPING STORY

BREAKTHROUGH IN TRILATERAL SUMMIT UPDATE

Kathmandu, 31 Oct. A meeting of the Big Three Monday morning after a four-meet agreed to a package solution and agreed to meet again Tuesday at the prime minister’s residence, reporters from the meeting venue said quoting NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC.
Top leaders of the UCPN (Maoist), NC and UML have been given responsibility to prepare a draft of the agreement to be submitted at Tuesday’s meet.
The summit discussed a national government, integration of former Maoist combatants peace process, constitution drafting and other
current issues.
The parties held bilateral and trilateral talks to achieve the breakthrough.
Other details weren’t immediately available.
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NEPAL, CHINA ALSO HOLDING TALKS TO PROTECT CHINESE INVESTMENTS

Kathmandu, 31 Oct. : Nepal and China are also holding talks to finalize an agreement to protest Chinese investments in Nepal, Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun said in Banke Monday.
The agreement will be similar to the agreement to protest investment signed between India and Nepal during the just concluded India visit of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
The agreement has been criticize by a faction in the premier’s own party.
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21 INJURED IN HEAD-ON COLLISION BETWEEN BUS AND CARGO TRUCK IN SARLAHI

Kathmandu, 31 Oct. Twenty-one persons were injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and cargo truck on a highway in Sarlahi Monday morning.
The injured have been rushed to Bharatpur, Chitwan, for treatment.
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WOMAN KILLED, 11 INJUREDD IN BUS ACCDENT IN RAUTAHAT JUNGLE
Kathmandu, 31 Oct: A woman was killed and 11 others were injured when a bus overturned near a jungle in Rautahat Monday morning.
The bus that departed the capital went turtle at Lamaha jungle of Chandranigahapur.
The dead woman has been identified as Anandi Sardar, 28, of Pipariya, Saptari.
The bus overturned after big hit by another bus.
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PRESIDENT HOLDING CONSULTATIVE MEETNG WITH UML CHAIRMAN

Kathmandu, 31 Oct. UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanaal is holding consultative meeting with President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav Monday on the delayed peace process and constitution promulgation.
The ceremonial president, in similar meetings, has been urging parties and their leaders to agree to end the deadlock to complete the twin processes.
The 30 November deadline to complete the talks won’t be met again amid demands by parties to again extend the tenure of a constituent assembly (CA) after 30 November.
The constituent wasn’t first completed by the elected CA in the first two-year elected tenure.
After two months of hibernation, parties are again showing some activity as the Big Three are currently holding discussions at a resort in Budhanilkantha.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has set aside regular government work to concentrate on completing the peace process, Kantipur reports.
He cancelled four scheduled meetings to prioritize the peace process.
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ASIAN QUALIFYING TAEKWONDO TOURNAMEMNT POSTPONED

Kathmandu, 31 Oct. A scheduled Asian Qualifying Taekwondo Tournament in Bangkok from4 to 6 November has been postponed because of flooding of the Thai capital.
A new date and venue is to be announced soon.
The tournament was to select participants for the 2012 London Olympics.
Four Nepali players are awaiting selection for the Olympics.
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LOGO OF SIXTH NATIONAL GAMES ADOPTED

Kathmandu, 31 Oct.: A logo of the sixth national games to be held in the far-West has been adopted and unveiled by National Sports Council Sunday.
The logo was designed by artist Jeevan Rajopadhyay.
Symbols of nationalism, peace, Olympic colours, athletes, five development regions and deuda, a dace of the region where the games will be held, are depicted.
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CPN MASHAL LEADER MOHAN BIKRAM SINGH APPEARS IN PUBLIC

Kathmandu, 31 Oct.: CPN (Mashal) Chief Mohan Bikram Singh, who hasn’t appeared in public, surfaced for the first time Sunday at a meeting of old communist leaders sponsored by was Pushpa Lal Academy.
Singh posed for al group photograph with other leaders and talked with some reporters.
The veteran communist leader was in semi-hiding.
“This is a historic meeting. Let’s build a common platform to record experiences of Nepal’s communist movement—a place where the Nepal communist movement can be studied.
“Let’s build a communist encyclopedia,” Nagarik quoted Singh as saying.
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NA WON’T OPEN
BHADRAKALI ROAD NOW AS ORDERED IN PM
Kathmandu, 31 Oct.: Despite instruction by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to reopen the Maitighar-Bhadrakali road section, the Nepal Army has informed the Ministry of Defense its inability to reopen the road citing security reasons, Shreejana Shresstha reports in Republica..

The army said opening the road, which passes through the army headquarters, will pose security threat to the headquarters. The army has instead suggested that an alternative should be sought.

“It is very difficult to open this road section to public now because of the high security sensitiveness. This section passes right through the army headquarters,” said Ramindra Chhettri, army spokesman, adding, “We have already written to the Ministry of Defense to find an alternative solution.”

On October 16, the prime minister had directed the national army to open the half-kilometer road within a week after the Valley Traffic Police Office reported to him that the capital´s traffic congestion would reduce by 30 percent if the road was opened for public vehicles.

Nine army units line the road section and opening the road to public would pose a security threat, the army said.

Chhettri said, “The army´s central maintenance unit, motor transportation unit and heavy equipment unit among others are located along the road."

Before 2001, the road was open to public but was closed for security reasons in the height of the Maoist insurgency.

“The army is holding discussion with the Ministry of Defense for exploring a permanent solution to the problem,” Chhettri told Republica on Sunday.

But officials at the Ministry of Defense said they could not comment on the matter as it is still under discussion.

Talking to Republica Saturday, Prime Minister Bhattarai said he is discussing the issue with authorities concerned. “Discussions are under way with those concerned to explore an alternative to the Maitighar-Bhadrakali road to reduce traffic congestion," the prime minister said when asked about his instruction to the army.

Government sources said there is a possibility of reviving a plan the national army had proposed in 2001 as an alternative to the closed road. In 2010 following a public interest litigation, the national army had informed the Supreme Court in writing that it had consulted with the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works to open an alternative road to connect Maitighar and Bhadrakali via the Ministry of Health and Population, Agricultural Development Bank, Nepal Food Corporation toward the west from Rastriya Beema Sansthan and Nepal Telecom building. The army had also informed the Ministry of Defense in this regard.

In 2010, the Supreme Court had refrained from ordering the army to reopen the road after it was informed that efforts were under way to explore an alternative to the closed road.
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