KATHMANDU: The government on Sunday sent a formal invitation to the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) for talks.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, who heads the government talks team, wrote a formal letter to the UDMF.

Stating that the government was committed to address demands of the Madhes movement on the basis of dialogue and consensus, Thapa said the first amendment to the Constitution was in line with the government intention to address the agitating forces’ demands.

Thapa also wrote in the letter that the government had already formed a Poltical Committee to address the question of provincial boundaries.

Thapa said that the government took the UDMF decision to change the forms of protests positively.

He said the participation of UDMF lawmakers in the Parliament and its committees was also positive.

Stating that all the political parties needed to come together to accelerate the pace of reconstruction and economic development, Thapa urged the UDMF to come to the negotiating table in order to resolve the issues through dialogues.

The DPM also said that the date and time for the dialogues would be fixed soon as per the convenience of the government and the UDMF.