Prez urges parties to forge consensus to avert looming crisis facing country as top politicos express commitment to end deadlock

President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Sunday urged top leaders of various political parties to forge consensus to avert the looming political as well as constitutional crisis facing the country at the soonest.

During a joint meeting with political parties at Shital Niwas, the President's Office, this afternoon, the top leaders of various political parties expressed renewed commitment to become serious regarding forging undestanding to end the existing political deadlock.

The meeting that started at Shital Niwas at 3pm lasted for nearly 4 hours.

Emerging from the meeting, UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the President was very concerned over the prolonged transition period and said the time is slipping fast for the parties to form a national consensus government to end the crisis.

Similarly, UML leader and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said that President Yadav has warned that the parties have "one last opportunity" to forge political consensus and give a way to the political crisis facing the country.

Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, who is also the vice-chairman of UCPN (Maoist); Maoist chairman Dahal, Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala, vice president Ram Chandra Paudel, senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum–Democratic chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, CPN-Maoist chairman Mohan Baidhya and Chairman of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum–Nepal Upendra Yadav, among others, had participated in the meeting.

It is learnt that during the meeting the parties also agreed to start fresh efforts at reconciliation and consensus by intensifying inter-party and all-party meetings from tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Maoist chairman Dahal has called a meeting of the major political parties on Monday to make a last-ditch effort at reconciliation and form a consensus government to end the political crisis facing the country. Nepalnews.com