Leaders of the parties engaged in a series of bilateral and trilateral meetings throughout Sunday told the Post that they have forged consensus on almost all contentions and an agreement would be inked once the Maoist party comes up with a time-bound action plan on completing the remaining work of the peace process.
The optimism surfaced after the NC and the UML on Sunday agreed to demonstrate "maximum flexibility" on the number and rehabilitation package in return for Maoist leaders' promise to come up with a time-bound action plan.
The Maoist leadership, which faces strong opposition from the party's hardliners, on Sunday decided to prepare and endorse the action plan through a majority vote in the party's Standing Committee (SC) and push forward the stalled peace process.
"We will move ahead as per the majority vote," said Maoist SC member and spokesperson Dina Nath Sharma after Sunday's SC meeting. "The parties will reach an agreement within a couple of days."
Earlier on Sunday, a meeting between the NC and the UML had decided to seek the action plan from the Maoists. "There has been agreement at the policy level; as such, numbers and the rehabilitation package are not big issues," NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula said after the NC-UML meeting.
Leaders said they are likely to hold 'decisive' talks on Monday and take a final call on all the contentions. As of Sunday evening, NC and UML were willing to integrate up to 5,000 combatants, while the Maoists demanded integration of 7,000. On the package, NC offered between Rs 300,000 to Rs 600,000 to the combatants opting for rehabilitation, but the Maoists have proposed at least Rs 700,000. The parties have settled other issues such as standard norms of integration, rank determination and role and mandate of combatants after the integration.
The UML, however, has demanded that the package deal also resolve contentions in constitution writing and power sharing issues, according to UML leader Surendra Pandey.
Sources said Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal wants to sign the package deal before he leaves for New York on November 5 to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to discuss Lumbini's development. To that effect, he is making a last ditch effort to take his deputy, Mohan Baidya, into confidence.
"In fact, more than the NC and the UML, it is the hardline faction in the party that has emerged a major challenge," Maoist Politburo member Haribol Gajurel, who is close to Dahal, said.
The Baidya faction is pressing Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Dahal to not make a "compromise" with the NC and the UML before the party's Central Committee meeting.
Speaking to the Post on Saturday, Bhattarai, however, had said there was no need to wait for the CC meet to seal an agreement with the other parties. "The party's official decision is to integrate the combatants and draft a new constitution from the Constituent Assembly (CA)," Bhattarai said.
Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang also said parties are near consensus. "I met Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and urged him to forge consensus on the peace process," he said.
