By IRNA,
New Delhi : The controversy over the Nepal’s care taker Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala attending the 15th South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit at Colombo has been amicably settled with the CPN (Maoist) and the CPN(UML) formally providing their approval today.
The two leftist parties have strongly opposed the care taker Prime Minister leading the Nepalese delegation at the SAARC summit beginning from 2nd of August.
At a meeting of four major parties including the CPN(Maoist), CPN(UML), Nepali Congress and Madhesh Jadhikar Forum held in Kathmandu Wednesday, the two left parties finally gave their consent to the Prime Minister’s proposal to attend the summit, All India Radio (AIR) reported.
Talking to newsmen after the meeting CPN(UML) leader Amrit Bohra said with just few days to go for the SAARC summit, Nepal’s image would be adversely affected in the international community if any change is made at this stage.
Earlier, on Tuesday, angered over the Cabinet decision to send Koirala to attend SAARC summit at Colombo, Maoist chief Prachanda had met Sri Lankan Ambassador to Nepal Sumith Nakanda and expressed the party’s dissatisfaction over Koirala attending the meet and termed his participation as “illegitimate”.
The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist(UML) also joined the Maoists in pressuring the veteran Nepali Congress leader not to attend the regional meet.
Both the Communist parties wanted the ceremonial President to attend the regional conference.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to diffuse the dissent, Koirala met former UML chief Madhav Kumar Nepal and sought his backing for the visit.
Nepal, however, had advised Koirala to send the President Colombo, the sources said.
Senior Maoist leader C P Gajurel had said that either a new government should be formed before the SAARC summit or the meet should be postponed.