KATHMANDU: Prakash Man Singh, vice president of the Nepali Congress, on Friday said that all the Maoist combatants need to be settled in the society prior to the new constitution being drafted.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Tarun Dal in the capital, he said that it was not possible to merge the entire Maoist army (People Liberation Army, PLA) into the Nepal Army. He urged the Maoists to abide by the terms and conditions mentioned in the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and warned that they would be responsible for the consequences if they failed to adopt CPA.