President invites Maoists to form govt

• Get seven days to forge consensus • UML likely to side with CPN-M • NC may sit in opposition • Prachanda, Khanal tell Koirala not to go to Colombo • Both want Prez to attend SAARC meet President Dr Ram Baran Yadav today called the CPN (Maoist) to forge ... ...consensus for the formation of new government.According to a press statement issued by the office of the President, Dr Yadav urged the CPN-Maoist, the largest party in the Constituent Assembly, to take initiative for the formation of new government in seven days.Dr Yadav asked Maoists to appoint new Prime Minister and council of ministers in accordance with Article 38 Clause (1) of the Interim Constitution of Nepal-2007by forging consensus.Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum feel that the CPN-UML — another key partner of newly formed left-democratic — alliance might leave them to join hands with the CPN-Maoist to form new government.NC general secretary Bimalendra Nidhi said so, adding that cozying up of the two communist parties was indicative of the emerging leftist alliance.MJF chairman Upendra Yadav also hinted that the UML could desert the left -democratic alliance.“You cannot be sure ofthe communist parties’ move because they easily change their stance,” Yadav told this daily.UML has sided with the Maoists to oppose PM Koirala’s proposed representation in the SAARC summit scheduled on August 2-3. “If they (UML and Maoists) tie up and formed a government we will sit in the opposition,” Nidhi said.Maoist and UML leaders were busy in bilateral meetings till late in the evening.“It appears that the UML will be part of the government in Maoist-led government and therefore they have adopted common stance on the matter of Nepal’s representation in SAARC,” Nidhi said, adding the UML held at least three rounds of meetings with the Maoists in last couple of days but did not share any information with the NC regarding the outcome of their dialogue and formation of a new government.Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala remained busy today meetingparty leaders. He met UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal and MJF chairman Upendra Yadav and Bijay Kumar Gachhadar. Prachanda and Khanal said the PM, as he has already resigned, should not attend the SAARC summit, according to NC leader Nidhi.“We tried to convince them that the PM decided to go as the names of the delegates should be forwarded days ago and there was no possibility of formation of a new government,” Nidhi said, adding Prachanda and Khanal did not buy the logic and insisted that the President attend the summit instead. Earlier Nepal had expressed similar concern to the PM when the latter went to meet the former at his residence.“There is an example where Sri Lanka’s outgoing president took part in the SAARC summit and newly elected president stayed away from the process as he had not taken the oath of office,” Nidhi said. The four big parties are to meet tomorrow morning to decide as to who should go to the summit.MJF leaders advised PM Koirala to attend the summit if the new government could not be formed until the day of the summit. Maoist leader Dev Gurung said both the parties reviewed their past relations, misunderstanding but had not yet reached an agreement for a tie-up. “We still want to form a consensus government,” he added.

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