The Communist-led coalition in Nepal was locked in a last-minute negotiations with the opposition parties to hammer out a deal to avert a
constitutional crisis, hours before the term of the interim parliament expires on Saturday.
Leaders of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) (CPN-UML) and Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-Maoist), the two largest party in the ruling coalition are also holding discussions within their parties to
firm up their policies amid the deadlock with the Nepali Congress, the main opposition in the House.
Unified CPN (Maoist), the largest party in the
601-member Constituent Assembly, is holding a meeting of its powerful Standing Committee while the CPN-UML of Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal is set for a key consultation.
The Nepali Congress, the second largest party, is also discussing its strategy with members of the parliamentary panel.
The Nepalese parties failed to end the deadlock over the extension of the term of the House despite several round of talks on Friday.
Prime Minister Khanal, Maoist chairman Prachanda and Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala held talks to end the standoff amid growing concern over the uncertainty in Nepal's
peace process and failure of the parties to agree on a consensus to promulgate a new constitution.
"The Maoists did not agree to prepare an action plan to hand over arms" and to decide on the modality for the integration of their former combatants with the security forces, said a leader who attended the tripartite talks on Friday.
The Maoists do not seem ready to move forward the peace process and the constitution drafting process, he underlined.
The opposition parties have asked the Maoists to
handover to the government the containers with the Maoist weapons, regrouping of the former guerrillas for the purpose of integration and rehabilitation, formation of a national
government and return of the property seized during the decade-long insurgency which ended in 2006.
They have also asked the Maoists to dismantle their paramilitary youth wing, Young Communist League.
The ruling coalition, which does not have the needed two-third majority, has registered a constitution amendment bill in parliament proposing a one-year extension for the Assembly, but the opposition parties have refused to provide
the support without the Maoists first accepting their demands.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Assembly could be extended only for six months, as against the government's decision for a one-year extension.
A concerned President Ram Baran Yadav, who held consultations with top leaders, including the Prime Minister, Prachanda and Koirala, asked them to reach a consensus and push forward the stalled peace process.
Nepal Maoists ended its decade-long civil war in 2006 and emerged as the single largest party in the 2008 election.
The Assembly, which was formed after the election, was originally elected with a two-year mandate -- to end on May 28, 2010 with the promulgation of the constitution.
However, the interim parliament failed to draft a constitution last year and its term was extended for one year in a last minute deal among the political parties.