KATHMANDU: A meeting between the ruling Nepal Congress and the main opposition, Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, today ended in a positive note with both the sides agreeing on nominating a coordinator of the High-Level Political Mechanism (HLPM) on consensus and setting its agenda for the timely promulgation of the new constitution.

At the end of the bilateral meeting held at Hotel Sangrila here in the morning today, leaders of both the sides said they were moving towards a positive direction on the role of the high-level mechanism on the peace and constitution-drafing processes.

Talking to media persons after the meeting, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said he was optimistic about finding a solution to the problems that had surfaced in the peace process as today's talks moved ahead positively.

He said that the meeting, the first after the death of the Nepali Congress president and former Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, felt that the major parties will be able to strike consenus on key issues of the constitution and the peace processes.

Emerging from the meeting, Ram Chandra Poudel, NC vice-president and NC parliamentary party leader, said the leaders of the two parties discussed the issue of returning property seized during the conflict and concluding the integration and rehabilitation process of the Maoist combatants and the contentious issues of the constitution.

Constitutional Committee chairman Nilambar Acharya on Friday urged the three major parties — UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML — to immediately sort out differences over the contentious issues related to the new constitution.

The key issues, according to Acharya, included the forms of governance (presidential rule or parliamentary democracy), election system, structure of legislature and its inter-relation with the executive, structure of judiciary and its inter-relation the executive and legislature and, the federal structure.

"We are hopeful from today's meeting that we can reach an understanding on these issues," Poudel told media persons.

He also said they could think of talking about the change in guard only after they reach an understanding on the issues related to the peace and constitution-drafting processes. He said they would also hold a series of talks with the UML and other parties on those issues.

Only 62 days are left for the Constituent Assembly to adopt the new constitution, which many believe, is impossible given the limited time.

Even Acharya said it would be impossible for his committee to draft the constituon if the Constitutent Assembly did not send consensus reports on nine remaining thematic committees, which have not been sent to the constitution-drafting panel due to differences among the parties on the key issues.

Besides Prachanda and Poduel, Maoist senior vice-chairman Mohan Baidhya, vice-chairmen duo Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Narayankaji Shreshtha, Nepali Congress acting president Sushil Koirala and senior NC leaders Sher Bahadur Deuba and Krishna Prasad Sitaula were also president during today’s meeting that lasted for a couple of hours.