SUSHIL KOIRALA, DEUBA HOLD DISCUSSIONS

SUSHIL,KOIRALA, DEUBA HOLD DISCUSSIONS
Kathmandu, 2 Feb.: NC President Sushil Koirala and senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba held discussions Thursday in a bid to end their bitter party dispute.
Koirala charges Deuba—a former three-time prime minister, for non-cooperation to run the main opposition party after his election as party chief by a general convention.
Deuba charges Koirala for arbitrarily dismissing elected ad hoc bodies of four sister organizations close to the former government who led a NC (Democrat) before a split.
The Koirala/Deuba meet materialized following Sunday’s meet of Deuba supporters to convene a meet of party district presidents to galvanize organizational support for the former government chief.
Following differences, Deuba resigned from the party central committee.
Debua hoped party differences would be resolved in one week and added the president was ‘positive towards a package deal”

The former premier chief also seeking broader representation of his supporters in the party bodies.
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NC SEEKS BHATTARAI RESIGNATON
Kathmandu, 2 Feb : The main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC) on Wednesday has asked Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to tender his resignation over his controversial remarks in the meeting of the legislature parliament, greatwayonline reports.
Prior obstructing today’s House session, NC lawmaker Gopal Man Shrestha said that the PM, being the top executive of the country had no rights to give antinationalist remarks.
A few weeks back, PM Bhattarai had said that there was danger of Nepal either being merged with India or China if the country doesn’t come out from the ‘buffer state mentality’.
Speaker Subas Nembang postponed House till Sunday after the opposition lawmakers obstructed the parliamentary proceeding demanding revocation of the cabinet decision to legalise the transactions of lands under Maoist parallel government during 10 year long insurgency.
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GOVT. LIKELY TO ACCEPT SRC REORT SAYS GACHHADHAR
Kathmandu, 2 Feb.: Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar on Wednesday said that the report submitted by the majority of the State Restructuring Committee (SRC) is likely to be accepted by the government, greatwayonline.com reports from Biratnagar.
Gachhadar, speaking to the media persons at Biratnagar airport, said that the majority members of the SRC have made a report giving mountains, hills, Madhes and Terai the feeling of an autonomous state.
“The report has incorporated identities and capabilities, the reason why the report is more likely to be accepted by the government,” he said.
“The majorities report is more pragmatic, but there will be agreements and disagreements regarding the report,” he further added.
He even criticised the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress (NC) for being anti-autonomous states.
The members of the UML and NC who submitted the separate reports have done so against the ethics, Gachhadar said.
The separate report submitted by the NC and UML follows the panchayat style, he said. He also claimed that NC and UML have presented such report as they are strictly against Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM).
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DETAILS OF DIFFERENCES OF FEDERAL STRUCTURE
Kathmandu, 2Feb.: The report submitted by a majority of the State Restructuring Commission--backed by Malla K Sundar, Bhogendra Jha, Stella Tamang, Krishna Hacchethu, Surendra Mahato and Chairman Madan Pariyar--that proposes an 11-state model has 19 Articles. However, the separate report forwarded by the minority group that pitches for a six-state model has 17 articles, The Kathmandu Post reports.
In the report prepared by the majority, the first article is the preamble, which states that Nepal would be a federal set-up which strives to eliminate all forms of discrimination, including ethnic and class. The preamble also states that there would be autonomous and self governance with powers vested in the centre. The second article defines the federal set-up. 'Federal' implies the unit at the top. 'Province' implies area separated from the federation. 'Local level' implies village and city councils. 'Special structure' implies autonomous and special areas. 'Protected area' implies areas for minority and endangered groups in provinces.
The third article talks of restructuring of state and forms of state powers. The fourth article states about levels of government. It advocates two tiers of government--central and provincial. The province would have local units comprised of villages and city councils. Under the special structure, there would be autonomous areas, special areas and protected areas. Likewise, at the local level there would be village council and city council whose number and area would be determined by the provincial government. Article 8 states that there would be a special structure for a community or an ethnic group. Clause 10 of Article 9 gives residual power to either the centre or the province depending on where the problem arises. The minority group demands that the residual power rest at
the centre.
Article 11 states that in order to resolve disputes among federal units there would be an inter-provincial council headed by the prime minister of the federation whose members would be central home and finance ministers along with heads of provincial governments. Article 12 provisions right to self determination to indigenous, ethnic Madhesi groups. Article 13 talks of political priority rights for the dominant group at the level of the special structure.
Article 15 dwells on rights for Dalits and calls for ensuring them jobs at governmental, semi-governmental and industrial units. The article demands modernisation of their traditional occupations. Article 18 seeks ensuring rights of the minority group through legal provisions. Article 19 requires reviewing the reservation policy every 10 years.
To the centre, the report gives 30 rights, including control of the Army, central police and central bank. To the list, the minority group's report adds, among other things, national labour policy, legal administration, and international treaty.
The minority faction--comprising Ramesh Kumar Dhungel, Sarbaraj Khadka and Sabitri Gurung--stresses that there should be six provinces and a three-tier structure--federal level, state level and
local bodies.
The majority faction, backed by Chairman Madan Pariyar, has recommended a two-tier structure and placing local bodies under the provinces. In its note of dissent, the minority group has suggested three tiers of government--federal, provincial and local--with equal rights.
They have stressed that the current set-up of local bodies be continued until new structures are finalised by the state government. The three members have recommended that there should be districts, municipalities and Village Development Committees at the local level and they should be created within a year of electing the state government.
The majority faction has recommended political priority rights for dominant ethnic groups in the special structures within a federal set-up for once at least.
Dhungel, Khadka, Gurung and Bhogendra Jha have expressed serious reservations that the provision of priority rights is against the principle of competitivie politics.
Dhungel, Khadka and Gurung have objected to the recommendation of right to self determinism for indigenous nationalities, Madhesis, Dalits and other marginalised groups arguing that the provision could provoke unnecessary disputes. Majority members have recommended that indigenous and local communities should have right to self determinism on politics, culture, religion, language, education, information, health, migration, social security, employment, mobilisation of resources and land, among
others.
The commission has recommended formation of an Inter-State Council headed by the prime minister to resolve disputes between the federal units. Commission member Stella Tamang has registered a note of dissent demanding participation of at least two women ministers in the dispute resolution mechanism.
Members of the commission have suggested that the head of the government, on the recommendation of the federal government, can dissolve any state government or state legislature if it acts against territorial integrity, sovereignty and ruins the law and order situation.
The dissolution would be invalid if not endorsed by the federal parliament with a two-thirds majority within 35 days, reads the dissenting proposal.
Meanwhile, the minority group has recommended Dhankuta, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Janakpur, Surkhet and Ghorahi as provincial headquarters in their six-state
federation.
Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Ilam, Jhapa, Khotang, Morang, Okahldhunga, Panchthar, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu, Sunsari, Taplejung, Terhathum and Udayapur districts fall in the first state.
The second state, whose capital will be Kathmandu, comprises Bhaktapur, Chitwan, Dhading, Dolakha, Kavrepalan-chowk,Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Makawanpur, Nuwakot, Ramechhap, Rasuwa, Sindhuli, and Sindhupalchwok districts.
The third province includes Arghakhachi, Baglung, Gorkha, Gulmi, Kaski, Lamjung, Manag, Mustang, Myagdi, Palpa, Prabat, Pyuthan, Rolpa, Syangja, and Tanahu districts and the eastern part of Nawalparasi district.
The western part of Nawalparasi, Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Kailai, Kapilvastu and Rupendehi make up the sixth province with Ghorahi as regional headquarters.
Bara, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Parsa, Rautahat, Saptahari, Sarlahi, and Siraha districts
are incorporated in the fourth province and Janakpur is recommended as the regional
capital.
Achham, Baitadi, Bajhang, Bajura, Dadeldhura, Dailekh, Darchula, Dolpa, Doti, Humla, Jajarkot, Jumla, Kalikot, Kanchanpur, Mugu, Rukum, Salyan and Surkhet are incorporated in the fifth province.
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BORDER TALKS WITH CHINA CANCELLED
Kathmandu, 2 Feb.: Nepal has unilaterally cancelled the proposed boundary talks with China, after the latter refused to recognise Nepal’s stance over the missing Pillar No 57 in Lamabagar, Rasuwa, Anil Giri writes in The Kathmandu Post.
This has prompted the Nepali side to cancel the meeting which was expected to finalise other outstanding border issues with China, including the height of Mt Everest and identification of the Nepal-India-China tri-junction at Kalapani in the Far Western Darchula district.
The five-day summit, which was to begin on Wednesday in Xian, China, was also expected to prepare groundwork for the signing of the so-called Fourth Protocol of Nepal-China boundary maps. This is the first time the boundary maps have been prepared by the GPS method.
The talks were officially cancelled two days ago after Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai was briefed about the mandate given to the Nepali side, as prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), in the absence of Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha. According to multiple sources, the MoFA had prepared a four-point mandate to hold talks with the Chinese side.
The first mandate was to sort out claims and counterclaims over the height of Mt Everest. The Nepali side believes that the ‘snow height’ over Mt Everest should be taken into account while determining its height (8,848 metres). China, on the other hand, has advised that the ‘rock height’ should be taken into account since it is the permanent height (8,844.50 metres) of the mountain.
According to the second mandate, the two sides were to follow the ‘watershed principle’ while recognising the missing pillar in Rasuwa. “After China disagreed to recognise Pillar No 57 in a recent meeting at the MoFA, both the sides agreed to follow the watershed principle. This was a win-win situation for us—otherwise we would lose 30 hectares,” a senior government official said.
The Nepali side has maintained that Pillar No 57 was erected with mutual consent and it is related to border sentiments. “So we have been asking the Chinese side to honour the pillar which stands in a barren hill region,” said a Nepali official.
“Subsequently, the Chinese side has agreed to follow the watershed principle and both the sides agreed to work towards a consensus,” said the official.
The two sides agreed to follow the watershed principle and decided to insert a small ‘triangular’ between Pillars No 57 and 58. It was a compromise whereby Nepal would lose only six hectors of land, said the official.
“If we don’t agree on the watershed principle, we will lose more land,” said Lal Mani Joshi, secretary at the Ministry of Land Reforms.
After PM Bhattarai was briefed about the developments, he took a firm position that he did not want to lose any land to China, which could have “serious political implications” for him, an official quoted the PM as saying. “The PM said we need to do more homework on this issue. And once that’s done, the talks should take place at an early date,” an aide to PM, Bishowdeep Pandey, said.
On the Kalapani issue, Nepal has said that a small lake near Limpudhara should be the tripartite border point and not the Lipu Lek, as has been currently designated. “But since it’s a tri-partite issue, we need to talk with India too in order to settle the Kalapani border controversy,” another official said.
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