Big Three agree to activate all-party panel as they fail to decide on local bodies

Three major parties - Unified CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN (UML - have agreed to 'reactivate' the all-party panel formed months earlier to forge an understanding among the parties on the formation of local bodies.

A meeting of the three parties held on Sunday took the decision. According to NC spokesperson Arjun Narsingh K.C, who participated in the meeting, the three parties have common position against the idea of sharing local bodies among major parties.

He said the formation of local bodies would go as suggested by the all-party committee.

The parties have started discussion on the issue amid reports that several programmes announced by the government remain unimplemented due to the absence of functioning local governments.

Earlier, talks were deadlocked with the parties sticking to their respective positions on the composition of local bodies. While the Maoists have been insisting on sharing the local bodies on the basis of the parties' position in the first-past-the-post system of last year's Constituent Assembly election, NC, UML and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum want this to be done according to the proportional system. nepalnews.com Mar 15 09

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