STANDARD FINANCE SHORE HOLDERS APPROVE MERGER PLAN Kathmandu, 23 April: A special annual general meeting of Standard Finance approved a merger of the finance company with Macchapuchere Bank Ltd (MBL) headquartered in PPkhara Sunday. The merged company will have a paid-up capital of Rs.2.5 billion. The face value per share of the finance company will now be Rs.85 while the MBL share is priced at Rs.100 per share. The bank has also convened a special general meeting to approve the Merger described as the biggest so far. nnnn. PARTIES AGREE ON CONSTITUTIONAL COURT Kathmandu, 23 April: The much hyped meeting of the three major parties- UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML- along with United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) ended inconclusively on Sunday although the participating leaders claimed that they inched closer to agreement on all the remaining five contentious issues of the new constitution, The Rising Nepal reports. The meeting that was held on the day in which the deadline set for forging consensus on the remaining debated issues such as form of governance, judiciary, state restructuring, citizenship and electoral system did not make any breakthrough as expected in any of the issues. "I believe we will be able to resolve dispute over judiciary and citizenship in tomorrow’s meeting," Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda informed the reporters after the meeting concluded at the Constituent Assembly building in New Baneshwor. He said that the meeting was postponed for 9 am Monday. Talking to The Rising Nepal, Maoist leader Khima Lal Devkota remarked that the meeting ended with a positive note as the top leaders of the major parties and the Madeshi Morcha were ready for any possible alternatives softening their partisan positions. "On form of governance, the parties are ready to find a common ground depending on the report presented by the taskforce, on mixed electoral system, they are ready to agree to divide the percentage of first-past-the post and representation system around fifty-fifty, regarding citizenship, the only debate is on how to adjust principle of equality in relation to son-in-law of foreign origin in the context that the country has been providing citizenship to daughter-in-law within 35 days of marriage," Devkota said. With respect to setting up of Constitutional Court, Devkota said that the parties were to agree on its jurisdiction only. He said that the parties also inched close to agreement on state restructuring as they agreed in principle that the number of states as suggested by CA thematic committee should be slightly reduced. "There is no dispute that identity is one of the bases of federalism." Elaborating on the parties’ discussions on judiciary, UML lawmaker Agni Kharel said that the parties had no difference that the Constitutional Court should be set up for deciding any possible dispute over rights of and between the center and the province, between the provinces and province and local bodies. "The CC would be kept only for a certain period of time." As in Hattiban Resort meeting, the leaders of the dissenting faction of the Maoist party also attended today’s meeting in which top leaders of the three parties that included Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, who is also Maoist vice-chairman, UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala, general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, who is chairman of Madeshi Janadhikar Forum (Democratic), chairman of Terain Madesh Loktantrik Party Mahanta Thakur were present, among other leaders of the parties. Earlier this morning, a meeting of three major political parties held failed to resolve the disputed issues of the constitution. The meeting held at Constituent Assembly (CA) premises in New Baneswar failed to reach a consensus on the issues as they kept sticking to their own stands. Top leaders of the UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML and Unified Madhesi Front attended the meeting. The meeting centered on the system of judiciary but failed to resolve the matter. The NC and UML have been standing against the idea of constitutional while the Maoists and Madhesh based parties in favour of it. The NC and UML have proposed a provision of a constitutional bench under the Supreme Court while the Maoists have rejected the idea in favour of a separate constitutional court. After the meeting, UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said that the parties were trying to reach a consensus regarding the disputed issues of the constitution and hoped that they would successfully resolve the issues. NC parliamentary party leader Ramchandra Poudel said that the Maoist leaders had backtracked from agreements reached in the past. He, however, said that NC and UML were firm to respect those deals. Chairman of Madheshi Janadhikar Forum (Loktantrik) and Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar said that the meeting was positive and stressed that the parties had not alternative path to arriving at a consensus to promulgate the constitution within stipulated deadline. Minister for Information and Communications Raj Keshor Yadav said that the evening meeting of major political parties would reach an agreement about the disputed issues of the constitution. UCPN-Maoist leader Hitman Shakya said that a meeting to be held this evening will finalize the issues regarding the form of governance, judicial system, state-restructuring, citizenship and others. Meanwhile in Lalitpur, Lawmakers and stakeholders have demanded to guarantee right to citizenship sans discrimination to men and women. Speaking at an interaction organized by Inter Party Women Network here today, leaders of different political parties said that provision to provide citizenship to children in the name of mother should be guaranteed in the new constitution. Chief whip of the UCPN (Maoist) Dev Prasad Gurung said that discrimination based on men and women should not be done for citizenship distribution as basis of identity was citizenship. Likewise, chief whip of Nepali Congress Laxman Ghimire said provision of citizenship should be made strict adding that open border with neighboring countries could cause problems of dual citizenship by a foreigner. Meanwhile Leaders of Newa: community have stressed a need to pile pressure from different walks of life to ensure Newa: Autonomous State with identity and capability in the new constitution. Speaking at a program here today, State Minister for Land Reforms and Management Dilip Maharjan said that all people of Newa: community should unite till last hour to ensure their demand for Newa: Autonomous State. He said though the Maoist party has two factions, both the factions were committed to the demand of Newa: State. Likewise, lawmaker Dr Mangalsiddhi Manandhar said that the proposed Newa: Autonomous State was most viable from point of view of infrastructure adding that conspiracies were hatched against Newa: Autonomous State from different sectors. Similarly, lawmaker Hitman Shakya urged all to participate for decisive movement for the cause of Newa: State. Rights activist Malla K. Sundar said that depicting the past commitments made by the parties regarding the Newa: Autonomous State in a different note was a political dishonesty. Nnnn MAOIST CHIEF SAYS MARXISM IS A DYNAMIC SCIENCE Kathmandu, 23 April: Communist parties across the country Sunday marked their 63 rd anniversary of Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) with a variety of programmes, The Rising Nepal reports. UCPN-Maoist, CPN-UML and other communist groups organized their separate programmes to mark the day. Coinciding with birth day of Bolshevik leader V I Lenin, the CPN was established in the Indian city of Calcutta 63 years ago at the initiatives of its founding general secretary Pushpa Lal Shrestha. Divided in more than a dozen of groups, the Nepalese communists nonetheless have 62 per cent representation in the Constituent Assembly. Speaking at an occasion, different communist leaders highlighted the gains and loss of communist movement in the last more than six decades. UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said that Marxism should be understood as a dynamic science, and the Nepali revolution should be taken ahead in pursuance to the demand of the nation, time and circumstance. Speaking at a seminar on ‘Ideological struggle in Nepali Communist Movement and the question of party formation’ organized by the Maoist party Central Committee, he said the revolution should move ahead in the guidance of Lenin’s great saying that ‘concrete analysis of the concrete situation is the soul of Marxism’. At the program organized to mark the founding day (April 22) of Nepal Communist Party, Maoist Prachanda felicitated founding leader of the party Nar Bahadur Karmacharya, communist movement leader Krishna Das Shrestha, Khamba Singh Kunwar, Bishnu Bahadur Manandhar, Shanta Shrestha and Maoist party politburo member Dil Bahadur Shrestha with a letter of citation, shawl and garland. Stating that revolution cannot be copied, Prachanda said, ‘revolution can develop not copied, revolution in Nepal can take place in its uniqueness, but if copied it would invite a big disaster’. Likewise, CPN-UML leader KP Oli Sunday, speaking in the same occasion, accused the ruling UCPN-Maoist of hatching conspiracy to keep the present government in power until May 27 and rule the country unilaterally for ever. Addressing a function organized by the Valley Coordination Special Committee of his party to mark the 63rd year of the establishment of the communist party in Nepal, Oli said that the Maoists agreed on one issue of the contentious matters and disputed on the other only to remain in power until May 27. He said that the new constitution should be promulgated even by forming a new government if the present government failed to do so. Founding member of the first Communist Party Nara Bahadur Karmacharya said that new people’s revolution was yet to be completed and stressed the need of another struggle to establish people’s democracy. He also highlighted the establishment of the communist party and the movements launched for the people’s rights earlier. He informed that late Pushpa Lal had prepared the hand-written manifesto of the party. CPN-UML secretary Yuba Raj Gayawali and politburo member Ram Chandra Jha also expressed their views on the occasion. The VCC also organized a tea reception in the evening to mark the establishment of the communist party. Party chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary Ishwor Pokharel, Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala, vice president Ramchandra Poudel, general secretary Prakash Man Singh, UCPN-Maoist vice chair and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, RPP chairman Pashpati Shumsher Rana, former Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Chitra Bahadur KC, Suresh Ale, Sari Giri and others were present in the reception. Nnnn QATAR, SAUDI EMBASSIES TO OPEN SOON Kathmandu, 23 April: A team led by Acting Ambassador of Qatar to Nepal, Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Mahmoudi, is arriving in Kathmandu on Wednesday to set up residential embassy of Qatar in Nepal, Republica reports.. Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said the team will arrange office building and start embassy operations ´soon´. "We have received a letter that a team led by Qatari charge d´affaires is arriving on Wednesday to set up residential embassy," confirmed a source. Nepal had long been requesting Qatar to establish a residential embassy in view of the hardships and hassles faced by Nepali workers opting to go to the Gulf nation for employment. It is estimated that there are currently over 350,000 Nepali migrant workers in Qatar. The absence of Qatari embassy in Kathmandu has left Nepali workers to acquire visa from Qatari embassy in New Delhi or ´paper visa´ acquired by manpower companies concerned. "The establishment of residential embassy will not only make it easy for Nepali workers to acquire visa but also help facilitate communications between the two countries and immediately address problems faced by Nepali workers in Qatar," said an official at the MoFA. During a visit to Qatar by President Dr Ram Baran Yadav last year, Qatar government had agreed to establish its embassy in Kathmandu. Nepal has already approved the agrement of Ahmed Jassim Al-Hamar, who was named as the envoy of Qatar to Nepal. Nepal established its residential embassy in Qatar 11 years ago keeping in view the increasing number of Nepali migrant workers there. President Dr Yadav is the first Nepali head of state to pay a state visit to the Gulf kingdom since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in January 1977. Sources said Qatari envoy Al-Hamar will arrive in Kathmandu after the team led by Acting Ambassador Al-Mahmoudi starts embassy operations in Kathmandu. Meanwhile, it has been learnt that a seven-member delegation led by Dr Ahmed H Alhamud, Director General of Planning and Development Division at Saudi Foreign Ministry, had visited Kathmandu from April 7 to 14 to make a detailed study to set up a Saudi embassy in Kathmandu. MoFA sources said the delegation studied about possible location and a building for setting up embassy. Sources said Saudi Arabia is expected to set up its embassy in Kathmandu within next month, 34 years after Nepal established its embassy in the Gulf nation. Some 600,000 Nepalis are currently working in Saudi Arabia. The absence of Saudi embassy in Kathmandu has forced Nepalis opting for work in Saudi Arabia to acquire visa from Saudi embassy based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Nnnn ________________________________________