Nepal's Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist chief Prachanda Thursday held talks for the third time in five days amid expectations that the two sides would reach an agreement on the interim constitution.
The third session of the second round of peace talks between Nepal's government and Maoist rebels to end a decade-long insurgency in the Himalayan nation resumed at the prime minister's quarters at Baluwatar Thursday afternoon. Prime Minister Koirala, Prachanda, CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali Congress (Democratic) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and other senior leaders are attending the crucial meeting that would pave way to restore peace and stability in the Himalayan nation ending the ten-year long armed conflict which has claimed 15,000 lives.
Reports said negotiators from both sides held last minute meetings before the crucial Prachanda-Koirala talks to try arriving at an agreement on an interim constitution. The Seven-Party Alliance and the Maoists agreed on Tuesday to hold elections to the Constituent Assembly by the second week of June. However, the date of the election will be decided by the interim government to be formed probably in November inclusive of the guerillas.