KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal this evening met Nepali Congress president and former PM Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s residence in Maharajgunj. The PM asked Koirala to take an initiative to end the deadlock existing between the government and the UCPN-Maoist, the Opposition.

“Both the leaders agreed that mutual understanding and consensus alone would solve the problems facing the country,” NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who was privy to the meeting, said.

Raghuji Pant, chief political advisor to the PM, told this daily that the duo also discussed the Copenhagen Climate Summit and the recent Cabinet meeting held on the foothills of Mt Everest.

“The historic Kalapatthar meeting has been instrumental in highlighting Nepal’s environmental concerns in the world forum. The international community must have realised what a serious threat global warming poses to our Himalayas,” Pant quoted the PM as telling Koirala.

Koirala asked the PM to raise Nepal’s issue boldly during the summit. Nepal is leaving for Copenhagen on December 11.

The PM also briefed the NC president about the government’s action against the encroachers in Kailali’s Dudejhari forest area. Pant said Koirala was satisfied with the government measure to maintain law and order. “Had it not been curbed on time, such incidents would have occurred elsewhere too,” Pant quoted Koirala as saying.

The leaders also discussed the peace and constitution drafting processes, stressing on the need to complete them on time. “As a party to the Comprehensive Peace Accord, the Maoists cannot escape the ongoing peace process,” Koirala said. He stressed the need to form the much-talked-about high-level political mechanism to settle issues related to the drafting the statute.

Pant said the PM was eager to form it at the earliest but the same was being delayed due to the Maoist stir plan. Koirala was particularly concerned about the Maoist decision to declare autonomous republican states on ethnic grounds. “Such an act must be stopped at any cost as it will lead the nation towards disintegration and anarchy,” Pant quoted the NC veteran as telling PM Nepal.