Kathmandu, March 8:

Standing committee member of the CPN-UML Bharat Mohan Adhikari said today that the high-level meeting of the eight political parties scheduled for Saturday would discuss the formation of an interim government and date for the constituent assembly election. Adhikari said this after meeting Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s residence at Baluwatar this morning. He said the nature of action against the King would also be discussed during the high-level meeting.

Adhikari, accompanied by another leader Amrit Kumar Bohara, said that the PM assured them of forming the interim government by the second week of March. He said they also agreed to pass bills by the interim legislature-parliament required for the Election Commission to conduct the constituent assembly election in a week.

Adhikari said that the Maoists must stop displaying arms in public, return the seized property and issue a statement expressing commitment to this effect before the formation of the interim government. The PM, NC leaders and the Maoists had already reached understanding to those issues in a series of meetings held over a week.

The PM and the UML leaders also agreed that the Maoists must create a favourable situation for the assembly election by refraining from abductions, extortion and intimidation of the people and cadres of other political parties and implement what had been agreed upon.