Sujata Koirala meets SM Krishna; apprises about Nepal developments

With the peace process in Nepal precariously poised, its deputy prime minister Sujata Koirala today apprised external affairs minister SM Krishna about the latest developments and underlined that India was supporting the efforts to take the process to its logical end.

Krishna and Koirala, who is also the foreign minister, had about 30-minute meeting on the margins of the SAARC Summit
here during which they discussed issues related to drafting of the new Constitution in Nepal, a process which is to be
concluded by May 28 but looks difficult to be achieved.

"We had discussions on issues related to the peace process, writing of Constitution. Whatever is happening currently. I briefed him on the picture," Koirala said after the meeting.

To a question, she said, "the situation is not very good in Nepal."
   
Asked about Krishna's views on the situation in response to her briefing, she said, he is "very concerned and helpful and very positive."

She rejected the allegations of Maoist leader Prachanda that India was not playing a positive role in the peace process. "I don't think so...If Nepal is destabilised,India will also be affected. I think India wants to help and support the peace process."

As per the agreement between mainstream parties and Maoists in 2006, the new Nepal Constitution is to be written by May 28. However, the parties continue to be divided, making very difficult the possibility of new Constitution being drafted within the prescribed time.

Asked about the possibility of the Constitution being written by May 28, Koirala said, "it does not look like. I don't know what will really happen. We still have to decide, all parties. Right now we are in discussions whether to continue Parliament or to have other arrangements."

She said her Nepal Congress party feels that there should be a national consensus government which will include Maoists.

"We should solve the problem through dialogue... Maoists are the single largest party in Parliament and we need their support to write the Constitution. We need them inside the government. So we will try to bring them in the government. Without them how will you write the Constitution," she said.

Queried whether Maoists had been invited to participate in the government, Koirala said: "We are always asking them to come and join the government and support."

She said Prachanda himself had been invited to join the government. However, "they don't want this government. They want their own prime minister. Prachanda wants to be the prime minister himself," Koirala said.
   
"But national consensus is needed. We have to solve the problem through dialogue," she said, adding "We are telling them how much ever provocative you may be, how much ever you break the peace process, we will stand by our issues."

Her comments assume significane in the wake of Maoists planning to hold a massive rally in capital Kathmandu on May 1 demanding the ouster of the "puppet" government of Madhav Kumar Nepal.

Asked whether she sought India's support in this regard, Koirala said, "In the peace process, India has always helped us, given its moral suport."

She did not seem to endorse the statement by Nepalese prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal a few days back that he was
ready to step down if it helped in consensus.

"The situation is very fluid in Nepal. I think we should not make any kind of a provocative remarks. We should be very careful, wise and low profile and work rather than  being aggressive which will provoke Maoists. We have to have patience, lot of patience," she said when asked to comment on the prime minister's statement.