CJ PROPOSED PM UNDER FOREIGN PRESSURE SAYS CPN MAOIST’S GURUNG Kathmandu, 24 Feb,: CPN-Maoist Secretary Dev Gurung has said that the Chief Justice was proposed as the candidate for the post of prime minister at the pressure of foreign forces. RSS reports from Bhaktapur.. Speaking at an interaction programme organized by Rafat Sanchar Club here on Sunday, Secretary Gurung said like the episode involving NC President Sushil Koirala the CJ too was proposed to keep the parties busy and thereby lengthen the stay in power. "Based on our long experience of working with UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Prachanda I can tell you that this proposal of the CJ is just like that of the proposal put forth NC President Koirala", he said. Accusing the UCPN (Maoist) of trying to lengthen its stay in power at any cost, the Maoist Secretary said the present government could not be trusted unless it resigns and calls for a new leadership. Nnnn PARTIES GIVE CJ TIME UNTIL DEC. TO TAKE UP PM’S ASSIGNMENT Kathmandu, 24Feb.: The taskforce formed to prepare a draft consensus among the four major political forces, including UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), has proposed holding fresh elections by mid-December, Kosh Raj Koirala writes in Republica.. A meeting of taskforce members held on Saturday made the proposal in view of Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi, to whom the parties have agreed to hand over government leadership for holding the polls, expressing reservations over their earlier proposal to hold the polls by mid-June, citing lack of time. "We have agreed to provide the chief justice till mid-December to hold the polls if time is his only concern. It is now up to the chief justice to take a decision," said taskforce member from the NC, Bimalendra Nidhi. Earlier in the morning, a meeting of top leaders of the four parties had decided to ask the taskforce to finalize the draft consensus. Nidhi said those opposing the proposal to form an election government under a sitting chief justice have raised mainly four concerns, including concern about democratic values and norms, constitutionalism, judicial independence, and separation of powers. "To address those concerns, we have proposed giving time for both the head of the proposed interim government and the acting chief justice till mid-December to perform their respective duties independently," Nidhi further said. The proposal of the taskforce comes also in the wake of the Election Commission (EC) saying that holding elections by Mid-June would be almost impossible if the parties caused further delay in forging consensus on the contentious issues surrounding fresh polls. The parties are yet to settle the issues of updating the voters list, reviewing constituency delineations in line with the findings of the latest census, and settling various other technical issues relating to the polls. The taskforce meeting on Saturday revised the draft proposal, keeping in view the concerns raised by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi over the ´wording´ of the draft. "We have decided to forward the issues of contention to our top leaders for settling them," Nidhi further said. Though the taskforce members have already reached consensus on nine out of the 12 points of the draft proposal, they are yet to reach consensus on issues surrounding citizenship certificates, voter registration, the Truth and Reconciliation and Disappearance Commissions, and rank determination for Maoist combatants choosing integration into the Nepal Army. According to taskforce members, the Maoists have demanded the rank of colonel and settlement of the rank through ´political understanding´, but the NC and UML have maintained that the Special Committee entrusted with responsibility for supervising, integration and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants should settle this technical issue. The Special Committee has proposed giving Maoist combatants the highest rank of major as per the established norms of the NA, as against the demand made by the Maoists for a highest rank of colonel through ´political understanding´. Likewise, taskforce members are seriously at odds over the TRC ordinance already forwarded by the government to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav for his endorsement. The NC and UML have argued that blanket amnesty cannot be given to those involved in serious human rights violations during the conflict, as proposed in the controversial ordinance. Also, the UML and other parties in the taskforce are at odds over the issue of citizenship certificates and voter registration. While the Maoists, NC and the UDMF reached an agreement to provide citizenship certificates by descent to the children of those receiving citizenship certificates by birth after the political change of 2006, UML taskforce members argued that it would not be good to link the issue of citizenship with fresh elections. The UML and other parties are also at odds over whether to make citizenship certificates mandatory for 18-year-olds to register their names in the voters list. UML taskforce members have rejected the proposal of other political parties to accept any valid identity for registration in the voters list for the purpose of the fresh polls. Nnnn PARA DEVELOPS STOMACH BLEEDING Kathmandu, 24 Feb.: Former crown prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah, who is in a very critical state after suffering a major heart attack last Tuesday, developed bleeding from the stomach on Saturday, according to a statement issued by Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok, where he is undergoing treatment, Rupak D. Sharma writes in Republica... Following this, doctors have started giving him blood transfusion. “The bleeding was caused by use of a blood thinning medicine that prevents chances of hemorrhage,” a reliable source told Republica. “Doctors have already reduced the use of that medicine on him.” To further diagnose Shah´s condition, doctors at the Bangkok hospital also performed an endoscopy on the former crown prince Satuday, says a hospital statement signed by Dr Sayan Cheepudomwit, a cardiologist, Dr Parinya Kunawut, also a cardiologist, Dr Surasak Ackpongpaisit, a gastroenterologist, and Dr Kunichit Piyavechviratana, an intensivist. “Other organs are functioning well,” the source said. “But the level of potassium was a bit high on Saturday and it has been brought under control.” However, Shah´s overall medical condition still remains “very critical” and is on “ventilator life support” at the ICU of the hospital, according to a Samitivej statement. “Although he is in a critical state his condition is stable, which is surprising considering the massive heart attack that he suffered,” the source said. Currently, doctors are trying to gradually raise Shah´s body temperature which remained at 33 degrees centigrade on Saturday. “They are planning increasing the temperature by a notch to 34 degrees tomorrow (Sunday),” the source said. This process will continue until doctors gradually restore the normal body temperature of 37 degrees centigrade. “This (restoration of normal body temperature) is a slow process and his well-wishers will have to wait for some time to know how his organs respond once normalcy is reinstated in his body,” the source said. Shah suffered a major cardiac arrest Tuesday night--the second since September 2007--at the apartment of Bangkok-based Nepali businessman Sunil Khadka at Rama 9 in Bangkok, where he has been staying for the last two months. Shah was planning to prepare food at the time while Khadka and his wife had gone out for grocery shopping. “Doctors said his heart had stopped beating for around 50 minutes when he was brought to the hospital,” according to another source. “However, CT scans (conducted twice since last Wednesday) show that his brain is fine and there are no traces of blood clots.” Shah´s parents have not flown to Bangkok yet. But his wife Himani stayed at the hospital throughout the day Saturday and held consultations with various doctors. Nnnn EC WORKS UNDER TIGHT SCHEDULE, ASSEMBLY VOTE MAY NOT BE HELD Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: The Election Commission ( EC ) on Friday said the government’s plan to hold election s by June 5 may not materialise if political parties fail to hammer out a deal on a new election government within the next seven days, Bharda Sharma writes in The Kathmandu Post.. Only 102 days remain for the June-5 D-day set by a cross-party taskforce of the four major political parties—UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha. However, key political forces are still divided on the formation of a chief justice-led election government and on outstanding issues related to the election s. Parties have serious differences over the voters’ roll, citizenship and constituency delineation. “Although we are already engaged in a pre- election campaign, it will not be easy to hold the polls in early June if the parties do not strike an agreement on the election government within the next seven days,” EC Spokesperson Anil Thakur told the Post. Thakur said that the delay in forming a new government has created a ‘confusing situation’ as EC officials at the ground level often seek a clear mandate for their work. Earlier, the EC had prepared a 92-day work plan to hold fresh Constituent Assembly election s in early June. Though the EC normally requires 120 days to prepare for election s, a few days had been adjusted upon the request of the government to hold the polls in June at any cost. The entire board of the EC is vacant for the last two months, while constitutional, administrative and logistic hurdles are yet to be cleared. The government has to amend half-a-dozen electoral acts, besides some provisions in the Interim Constitution to make way for the polls. “Even after polls are declared, we must look into issues pertaining to party registration, polling stations and printing of ballot papers and finalising all these will not be possible in case the political deal is delayed,” said Thakur. Despite their informal agreement to re-appoint three retired commissioners, including former acting EC chief Neelkantha Uprety, the parties have not taken a final call on this. In the absence of constitutionally appointed commissioners, the EC led by a bureaucrat is not in a position to take decisions as such powers have not been delegated to the EC secretary. Despite uncertainty over the polls, the EC has intensified preparations like voter registration and poll training for teachers and social mobilisers working under local bodies. nnnn BLACKLISTING RISK REMAINS Kathmandu, 23 Feb.: A The endorsement of the Organised Crime Act just ahead of the Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ) plenary in Paris has saved Nepal from being blacklisted , but the country still risks blacklisting if it fails to complete the tasks as per its action plan on anti-money laundering by the next FATF plenary schedule for June, Prithvi Man Shrestha writes in The Kathmandu Post. This was what the FATF plenary, which concluded on Friday, told Nepal. “This plenary put Nepal in status quo, thanks to the endorsement of the ordinance on organised crime,” said Maha Prasad Adhikari, deputy governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank from Paris. “But the next plenary in June 2013 will be tougher for Nepal as the remaining work on the action plan is crucial.” Adhikari, who led the Nepali delegation to Paris, said Nepal must fulfil its commitments before the next plenary to avoid blacklisting. As per the action plan, Nepal has to amend the Anti-Money Laundering Act and introduce a separate Act on confiscation of properties of those found involved in money laundering and terrorist financing activities before the next FATF plenary. The FATF sought these two Acts as per its revised recommendations in February 2012. Government officials said that drafts of both the Acts have been prepared. “Amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering Act has been approved by the Finance Ministry and has been sent to the Law Ministry,” said Finance Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi. “The draft of the Act on confiscating of property of those involved in money laundering activities has also been prepared.” According to government officials, FATF has warned blacklisting Nepal if it fails to introduce these two Acts within June. “They are no longer interested in protracting the deadline for these Acts,” said a government official involved in correspondence with the FATF . Nepal was granted multiple deadline extensions for the Organised Crime Act, the Act on Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition Treaty after the country lobbied extensively with diplomats. The country had promised to introduce these Acts within 2010. The latter two Acts were brought in June 2012. If blacklisted , Nepali financial institutions will lose their credibility in the international arena and foreign banks may not approve the letters of credit issued by Nepali banks. A blacklisting will also diminish Nepal’s prospects of getting foreign aid and investment. Nepal, which is currently on the grey list, might also be downgraded to the dark grey list. After strong lobbying from Prime Minister, Finance Minister and the government officials, President Ram Baran Yadav had endorsed the ordinance on organised crime on February 16, two days ahead of the FATF plenary. nnnn