Kathmandu, August 31:

The government talks team and representatives of the Joint Front of Khumbuwan, Limbuwan and Tamsaling today held an informal meeting at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction.

After the one-hour-long meeting with the government’s chief negotiator and Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel, coordinator of the Joint Front of Khumbuwan, Limbuwan and Tamsaling, Kumar Lingden, told this daily that they put forth three key demands before the government team.

The three demands are guarantee of an autonomous Khumbuwan, Limbuwan and Tamsaling republic, proportional representation system of election based on ethnic population and declaration of federal republic before the constituent assembly election.

“Minister Poudel asked us to go for the assembly election with the mixed election system and told us that the government cannot declare the country a federal republic before the polls,” Lingden said.

The two sides met today in a bid to prepare ground for a formal meeting in Dharan scheduled for Sunday.

Both the sides held a first round of meeting in Dhulkhel about two weeks ago, where the ethnic front put forth the three demands.