Kathmandu, June 5:

A member of the Maoist talks team, Dev Gurung, today expressed hope that the country would find a peaceful solution to political problems as the seven-party alliance and the Maoists had already agreed on the main political agenda of elections to a constituent assembly.

He said both the talks teams were doing homework to hold the second round of dialogue and considering appointing observers for the talks.

Gurung, however, accused the alliance of betraying them by intending to give continuity to the House of Representatives, “the mandate of which had expired long ago.”

Gurung was speaking at a programme organised by Indigenous and Nationalities Peace Commission, Nepal.

He revealed that the alliance and the Maoists had reached an agreement to dissolve the House once it announced elections to a constituent assembly. The true source of political legitimacy, according to him, is the mandate of the people’s movement and not the old constitution and the House. He also accused the government of delaying the formation of its talks team, announcing the code of conduct and releasing political prisoners.

A broad political conference representing all the forces involved in the movement must be called which would draft an interim statute and pave the ground for an interim government that would in turn hold elections to a constituent assembly, Gurung said. He, however, said the differences between the alliance and the rebels would be sorted out through negotiations.

UML central committee member Shankar Pokharel suggested that the alliance and the Maoists find a middle path between the alliance’s stance of giving continuity to the HoR and the Maoists’ demand of conducting a political conference and forming an interim government. Pokharel said the alliance and the Maoists could be in a win-win position if an arrangement is made in which the decision of a roundtable political conference is subject to parliamentary approval. He said parliament could be kept as a “sleeping institution” until elections to a constituent assembly, which could work as a functioning parliament until fresh elections based on a new constitution are held.

Sitaram Tamang, central secretary of the United Left Front, stressed the need to form a bi-cameral parliament with the Upper House as a powerful body of nationalities. Tamang said they were also discussing at the Peace Secretariat the possibility of inviting international moderators to facilitate the talks.