Prez tells parties to suggest measures for crisis resolution

THT ONLINE

KATHMANDU: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Sunday categorically asked the top leaders of major political parties to suggest measures that he should embrace to forge political consensus and resolve the existing political crisis, saying the parties should own the full responsibility for that.

The President had held a joint meeting with the leaders of the parties that represented in the dissolved Constituent Assembly at his office in Sheetal Niwas in a bid to pile pressure on them to find a legitimate solution of the existing constitutional and political crisis in the wake of CA dissolution.

Reminding the parties of their statements regarding the essence of fresh elections and political consensus, President Dr Yadav said the parties should come up with a proposal to make it clear what he should do, how and when if the consensus could not be built up, the Office of the President said in a statement.

Emerging from the meeting earlier, CPN-UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal told the media that President Dr Yadav has offered the parties a last opportunity to relieve the country from the crisis.

The meeting had started at 3 pm and lasted for over four hours.

CPN-UML leader Nepal Nepal and Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai left the Sheetal Niwas earlier, while other leaders stayed there bit longer.

UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala, Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel, Chairman of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum–Democratic Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidhya, Chairman of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum–Nepal Upendra Yadav, Tarai Madesh Loktantrik Party Chairman Mahantha Thakur, and Rastriya Janashakti Party Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa among others, had taken part in the meeting.

Meanwhile, the four political forces--UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, United Democratic Madhesi Front--agreed to find a solution to the existing crisis by mid-October.

They decided to hold an informal meeting at 3 pm to finalise the agendas for an all-party meeting scheduled for Tuesday.