BIG THREE, MADESH MORCHA TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS MONDAY Kathmandu, 30 April: Leaders of the Big Three and the Madeshbadi Morcha will continue discussions on from of government, articles to be included in a proposed constitution and even formation of a national government Monday. ‘Talks were positive. There should be an agreement in the next three days,” Maoist Chairman Prachanda said after inconclusive discussions Sunday. He confirmed the meeting discussed a national government Only 27 days remain to promulgate a constitution and agreement between major players has been elusive. Formation of a national government led by main opposition NC was discussed Sunday with UML supporting the suggestion. The idea of a national government came at a time when the two opposition parties proposed bringing a no confidence motion against the seven-month government of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is a basic law isn’t going to be promulgated. nnnn ST. XAVIER’S SCHOOL OR CELEBRATE DIAMOND JUBILEE Kathmandu, 30 April: St Xavier’s School will celebrate its diamond jubilee 6 May. The Jesuit school is the first for boys first opened and run in Godavari by Amrican Jesuits. The school later shifted Jawalakhel. President Ram Baran Yadav as chief guest will be chief guest at the diamond jubilee celebrations. The Jesuits are currently running four schools, a college, two social organisations and eight mobile clinics, across the country. Plans are afoot to open a school in Dhading district soon. nnnn BISHAL BAZZAR GETS A LIFT Kathmandu, 30 April: Bishal Bazzar in New Road got a lift last week for the convenience of shoppers. It has been installed at the western section of the city’s first department store which hs an escalator. nnnn MADHAV KUMAR NEPAL LETS CAT OUT OF BAG; PROPOSES CA EXTENTION BY DRAWING PREPARING A PRELIMINARY CONSTITUTION DRAFT Kathmandu, 30 April:: Senior leader of the CPN-UML and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who is a member of the Problem Resolution Sub-Committee formed by the Constitutional Committee to resolve disputed issues of new constitution, today [Sunday] dropped a hint that the Constituent Assembly’s term may be extended by one-and-a-half months beyond May 27, The Himalayan Times reports. During today’s Constitutional Committee meeting, Nepal said it was possible to do so if parties prepared the first draft of new constitution by May 27. “Rest of the jobs related to the new constitution can be completed by mid-July if the first draft of new constitution is ready by May 27,” Chhabilal Bishwokarma, a CC member, quoted Nepal as saying. But Bishwokarma said he was clueless on what ground Nepal said so when the former PM was aware of the fact that CA term could not be extended beyond May 27 if the Supreme Court’s verdict were to be adhered to. Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC said no alternative should be explored to bypass the Supreme Court’s mandatory verdict. After Nepal’s briefing about talks among the parties on federalism and forms of governance, today’s CC meeting was postponed indefinitely until further notification, said CC secretary Tekprasad Dhungana. “Issues of forms of governance and federalism are complicated and serious. These issues will take more time to resolve. The first draft of new constitution cannot be prepared without reaching consensus on its fundamental issues,” Dhungana quoted Nepal as saying. Nepal was the only member of the Sub-Committee to attend today’s CC meeting. Sub-Committee Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and NC Vice-President Ramchandra Paudel did not turn up at the meeting, saying they were busy in the four-party meeting. Meanwhile, today’s planned CA full House meeting, which was supposed to endorse voting process on the disputed constitutional issues, was also put off with a notice at the parties’ request. The next Constituent Assembly full House meeting will be held on Tuesday. Nnnn NEPAL-CHINA TALKS TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS FACED BY NEPALI TRADERS Kathmandu, 30 April: China has approached the Nepali government to hold bilateral trade talks as soon as possible in order to ease the tariff and transit related barriers on quarantine and customs, among others, that Nepali businesspeople are facing for a long time, Bhola Ran Poudel writes in Republica. “The Chinese team has come to have a preliminary meeting in order to fix the third meeting of Nepal-Tibet Trade Facilitation Committee (NTTFC),” Naindra Prasad Upadhyay, joint secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Supply (MoCS), told Republica on Sunday. However, the two sides have not yet finalized the date for bilateral talk which will be held in China this time. The last meeting was held in Kathmandu in May 2011. According to Upadhyay, the agendas for the meeting have not been finalized yet. “We will start working on agendas once we set the date for meeting,” he said. “There are chances that we would get invitation from China within this week with a date of the meeting.” Nepal and China, in the second meeting of NTTFC, had agreed to ease the quarantine and transit issues. However, Nepali traders have allegedly said that the government has failed to raise the issues that have reduced Nepal´s export to China. “Nothing substantial has been done to help improve Nepal´s export to China after the second meeting of NTTFC in 2011,” Rajesh Kaji Shrestha, president of Nepal-China Chamber of Commerce (NCCI) said. “There would be no progress this time as well. I am not hopeful.” Upadhyay, who is also looking after the Nepal-China trade in the MoCS, said that he had discussed all the transit and quarantine related problems that Nepali business people are facing in the preliminary meeting last week. “I have raised the issues that are affecting our export growth to China,” Upadhya said. A recent study on Nepal-China Trade conducted by a regional think-tank, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), with the assistance of United State Agency for International Development (USAID), has said Nepal´s trade agreement with China has failed to uphold national interest. “The letter of exchange (LoE) signed between Nepal and China in May 2010 has turned out to be a barrier itself for the export growth of Nepal,” the report says. Shrestha, complaining the government inefficiency to have a better negotiation, said that the Nepali business people were facing multiple problems in the border areas. “China definitely is a huge market but we can´t tap it until the transit and quarantine related issues are addressed,” he said. According to Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC), trade deficit with China shot up to Rs 38.2 billion during fiscal year 2009/10 from Rs 11 billion recorded in 2005/06. Nnnn THARUS FOR JOINT THARU REGION Kathmandu, 30 April 29: At a time when the locals are demanding an integrated far-western region, about two dozen Tharu organizations have joined forces against the locals´ demand, Dil Bahadur Chhatyal reports from Dhangadi.. A joint meeting of Tharu organizations held in Dhangadi on Sunday decided to launch a struggle for the formation of Tharuhat region comprising Kailali and Kanchanpur on the basis of historical background and identity. “We decided to form a struggle committee to counter the demand of undivided far-western region,” said Madhav Chaudhari Kailali secretary of Tharu Kalyankarini Sabha. Tharu leaders said that they would launch an awareness campaign from Monday. The committee also decided to organize publicity gathering in Dhangadhi on May 2. “We are ready to pay any cost for undivided Tharuhat region,” Chaudhari stated. haru leaders stated that they would organize a two-day gathering in Kailali starting May 11. The newly formed struggle committee includes Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), Tharu Rastriya Mukti Morcha and Tharu Kalyankarini Sabha, among others. nnnn