THT 10 years ago: SPA, Maoists swear by 8 points again

Kathmandu, July 14, 2006

An informal meeting of the top leaders of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the Maoists said today they were committed to implementing the eight-point agreement between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists on June 6.

The next meeting of the top leaders of the alliance and the Maoists is scheduled to take place on July 21 and they are expected to find an alternative to the House of Representatives.

The agreement has agreed to dissolve House after mutually finding an appropriate alternative to it. The leaders also decided to constitute a task force comprising two members each from the NC and UML and the Maoists to settle contentious issues and their names would be announced by tomorrow.

The meeting also agreed to expand the members of the interim statute drafting committee by tomorrow.

Besides the government-Maoist talks teams, the meeting, held at the Godavari Village Resort, was attended by Maoist chairman Prachanda, his deputy Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Agni Sapkota and Barsaman Pun, Nepali Congress vicepresident Shushil Koirala, Ram Chandra Poudel, Dr Ram Baran Yadav and Mahesh Acharya and UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Amrit Kumar Bohara, Jhala Nath Khanal and Ishwor Pokharel. Emerging from the seven- hour long meeting,Maoist supremo Prachanda told the media that “better understanding has been reached to implement the eight-point agreement.”

PM Koirala swings between doctors and duty

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, currently recuperating from an attack of pneumonia in his official residence in Baluwatar, has started giving more and more time to official business and to family members.

But given the standing orders from the doctors that he should never think of resuming hectic schedule which demands movement, he is keeping indoors.

This explains why his daughter and Nepali Congress (NC) Central Working Comittee ( C W C ) member, Sujata Koirala, was garrulous when asked about how her father spent the day. “You can say he is doing pretty well.

I was there around 10 a m. He was enjoying the company of the people around. There were doctors and nurses apart from few others. There was no tinge of irritation in his behavior,” Sujata said.

However, she conceded that he (PM Koirala) was still not very fit since he feels tired very soon. But that is not surprising since doctors attending on him have been suggesting that he should not be very active at this stage. Prime Minister Koirala is sticking to induced oxygen at times.

In what has become a regimen by now, Dr Madhu Ghimire turns up “at his usual time and takes stock of everything important the way he has been doing for years.”