Nepali top party leaders Monday agreed to meet again on Tuesday
to address the demands raised by the Madhesi community and bring
about calm in the Terai region, local leading media group's website
THT On-line reported.
With the unrest entering 11th day, top leaders of the ruling
Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)
(formerly known as guerrilla) held a meeting here Monday
afternoon.
After the meeting, Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC said
the meeting on Tuesday would try to find a solution to the problem
in the Terai.
A task force comprising leaders of eight parties will discuss in
detail the federal state structure and proportional system of
election, the two main demands of the Madhesi community, and
present a draft solution to the crisis to the top leaders on
Tuesday.
In Monday's meeting, the leaders presented their respective party's
view on the Terai crisis. Most of the leaders were positive on the
federal state structure. Nepali Congress (democratic) and CPN-UML
have already decided to bay for federalism and proportional
election.
The violent demonstrations, mainly led by Madhesi People's
Rights Forum (MPRF, also called Madhesi Janadhikar Forum), began on
Jan. 19. The Forum claimed that one of its members was shot dead by
a cadre of the CPN. MPRF later collided with the police, which
claimed the lives of seven people.
Many Terai towns have been witnessing curfew, strikes and
widespread vandalism of public and private property in the
unrest.
Madhesi people are people mainly living in Nepal's south Terai
plains with Indian origin.
(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2007)