Nepal's top leaders agree to end clashes during election campaigning

    KATHMANDU, March 24 (Xinhua) -- With just 17 days to go for Nepal's twice postponed Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, top leaders of the country Monday agreed to put an end to clashes taking place between cadres of different parties in course of the election campaign in various parts of the country.

    During the meeting with Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala held at the latter's official residence in capital Kathmandu, leaders of Seven Party Alliance (SPA) agreed to curb the violent confrontation among party cadres and let all parties to conduct campaigning without any interference throughout the country.

    Despite the absence of Nepal Workers' and Peasants' Party (NWPP)representative, the ruling alliance leaders expressed commitment to stick to the election code of conduct and participate in free and fair elections.

    According to the Baluwatar sources, the meeting also made a decision to issue common understanding and commitment to hold the CA election in free and fair atmosphere.

    "The parties also expressed commitment on the issue of reserving seats for the top leaders of the alliance during the election," the sources said adding that all the understanding reached among the parties will soon be made public.

    The participating leaders also discussed the alleged attack on party leaders by the cadres of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M), failure to implement 23-point agreement and the murder of party workers in election campaigning.

    The meeting also reached an understanding to conduct an investigation into the recent attacks and not to repeat such activities in the future.

    A local media quoted leader of the CPN-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) C.P. Mainali as saying that chairman of CPN-M Prachanda came down upon the government for failing to provide security to its cadres and urged the leaders of other parties to be concerned towards the killings of CPN-M cadres.

    Similarly, leaders of Nepali Congress and UML slammed the CPN-Mstating that its cadres have been continuing with the activities like beating other parties' activists and obstructing election campaigns.

    The understanding to hold SPA meeting was reached on Sunday when PM Koirala met chairman of CPN-M and CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal.

    Present during Monday's meeting were PM Koirala, chairman of CPN-M Prachanda, CPN-UML general secretary Nepal, NC senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and People's Front Nepal's leader Amik Serchan among others.