Agreement eludes Koirala

Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today rejected the Maoist demand for declaring the Himalayan country a republic immediately.

Kathmandu, Nov 3 : Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today "rejected" the Maoist demand for declaring the Himalayan country a republic immediately.

Koirala said it is "impossible" to accept the Maoists proposal that the Parliament should immediately announce Nepal as a republic, saying that is it against the spirit of the agreements reached earlier, and the existing constitutional provisions.

During his discussion with senior leaders of Nepali Congress (NC), Koirala was quoted as saying that the party would remain against announcing Nepal a republic immediately and adopting a fully proportional election system.

Koirala's statement comes amid reports that Nepali Congress has agreed to pass a commitment proposal for republic from the parliament and endorse it from the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly after it is formed.

Koirala was holding discussion with senior party leaders to update them on the latest efforts to reach a consensus on the Maoist proposals.

The special session of the interim Parliament was suspended for two days on Friday, so that leaders could find a compromise on Maoist proposal through consultations.

The decision to suspend the House came at a time when it had become apparent that the House was headed towards a divisive voting on the Maoist proposal.

ANI