THT 10 years ago Summit talks soon, says Koirala:

Kathmandu, June 27, 2006

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who returned from his extended visit to Bangkok in connection with medical treatment, today said that summit talks between him and Maoist supremo Prachanda could happen in a few days.

Confirmation from him to this effect comes amid growing and hectic series of meetings between Prachanda and leaders of the seven-party alliance while Koirala was away.

However, he did not specify the day the summit talks would take place. “All I can say now is that the summit talks will be held soon,” Koirala told reporters at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) before he was driven away after a brief encounter with journalists.

However, he also added that the decision to hold the summit talks and the day would be decided only after he finishes talking with alliance leaders. It has been learnt that a sevenparty alliance meeting could be convened in a day or two to discuss the unfolding scenario.

“I have just arrived. Any decision regarding the summit talks will be taken as decided by the outcome of talks with alliance leaders,” Koirala told reporters. He also said his health was better now and that he could devote more time to the peace process.

However, Koirala declined to comment on the row generated by the instance of the army coming up with its reaction on what Prachanda had said about it on the day the 8-point deal was signed.

National mask dance conference to be organised

In order to preserve the popular mask dance of the Newar community, the Culture Heritage Nepal Mandal will organise a first ever, month-long national mask dance conference here.

The conference will start from August (after Ghate Mangal) and will end on September 6 (Indrajatra) this year. “Owing to financial constraints and lack of interest of the younger generation in organising the mask dance, the dances do not take place as frequently as before,” Ganesh Ram Lachhe, president of Madhyapur Art Council told this daily.

“Mask dance is a unique culture and has to be preserved at any cost as it has religious as well as traditional values attached to it.” Around 60 dance groups will be participating in the conference. The six groups from Bhaktapur alone will showcase Bhairab Dance.

Devi dance of Shankhu, Akash Bhairab dance of Halchowk, Kartik dance of Pharping, Nava Durga of Thecho and Nava Durga dance of Kirtipur, too, will be shown in the conference. Some mask dances which are performed only during certain occasions will not be shown.

Some mask dances are shown at least 40 times a year, while few dances are shown once in 12 years.

Lachhe said that few districts have already stopped organising such dances due to financial constraints and lack of interest in them.