National unity government needed in Nepal: PM

A landmark deal between Nepal's political parties to integrate about one-third of the 19,000 former Maoist guerrillas into the national army sets the stage for reinvigorating the stalled peace process and formation of a national unity government after years of wrangling.
   
A day after Nepal's main parties inked a crucial deal to boost the tottering peace process, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said on Tuesday that a mechanism comprising top leaders of major parties would be formed soon to transform the current coalition into a national unity government.
   
The leaders of the ruling United CPN-Maoist and its key supporter in the coalition, Joint Democratic Madhesi Front along with the main opposition parties, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML on Monday inked a deal to integrate 6,500 of the 19,000 former Maoist combatants into the security forces and return properties sezied during the decade-long civil war that ended in 2006.
   
The four major political forces, representing an overwhelming majority in the 601 member Constituent Assembly, reached a seven-point agreement on Monday to conclude the stalled peace process within a month and to prepare a draft constitution by November-end.
   
Bhattarai said that the consensus over concluding the peace process and constitution drafting was historic.
   
The deal also talks about initiating the process for the formation of a national government.
   
The Kantipur online quoted the prime minister as saying that his government would soon take the form of a national consensus government.
   
Bhattarai said his future has been linked with the success or failure of the twin task.