Nepali parties fail to form Interim Gov't Saturday

Nepali eight political parties Saturday afternoon met in Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's residence in Kathmandu, but failed to sort out differences related to forming the Interim Government.

The meeting of eight parties, including the Seven-party Alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M), is postponed till 08:00 (02:15 GMT) on Sunday.

The most openly talked difference lies between PM Koirala's Nepali Congress and one of the duo No. 2 party in the Interim Parliament, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML). PM Koirala was heard to express his dissatisfaction over CPN-UML's nomination of Sahana Pradhan to lead the party in the Interim Government.

The standing committee meeting of CPN-UML Saturday morning decided to send Sahana Pradhan as party team leader in the Interim Government to be in charge of Foreign Affairs portfolio.

The reason for that is not clear, but the local leading media group's website eKantipur says "a mismatch in the ministerial hierarchy gave rise to the differences between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML which forced today's meeting to end inconclusively. " The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is regarded as the strongest portfolio in the cabinet, next to the post of Prime Minister, while 79-year-old Sahana Pradhan is not so politically active in the last years.

Nepal's major political parties Friday in Kathmandu reach consensus on the distribution of ministerial portfolios in the Interim Government and forming the Interim Government on Saturday.

As per the agreement reached between SPA and CPN-M on Nov. 8, 2006, the Interim Constitution should be completed by Nov. 21, 2006 and promulgated by Nov. 26, 2006, and the Interim cabinet should be formed by Dec. 1, 2006.

However, the Interim Constitution was promulgated on Jan. 15, 2007 and the formation of the Interim Government was also delayed.

Source: Xinhua