Prachanda says party 'in new phase', seeks good ties with India

Nepal's former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who is also the head of Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the country's largest party, Tuesday held "very good talks" with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during which he emphasized that his party was in a "new phase politically and ideologically" and wanted good relations with India.

A day after Prachanda told an audience here his party had agreed that "without good relations with India Nepal cannot prosper", Prachanda said that "We are in a new phase politically and ideologically" in relations with India, his comrade Krishna Bahadur Mahara told IANS.

He said India and Nepal should "review the past" and take forward their relations.

He also discussed the second Constituent Assembly elections due in Nepal in November and sought help in the country's economic development. Manmohan Singh said "India stands by Nepal and we are with Nepal's economic development", Mahara, who was present at the meeting, said.

Prachanda, who visited China earlier this month, also broached his "vision" of a tripartite partnership between Nepal, India and China with the Indian prime minister. The latter reacted positively to the idea, according to Mahara. .

The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) party, during a conclave last month, had decided on three things - peaceful transition and peaceful democratic politics, focused strategy on economic prosperity of Nepal and good relations with India, said Prachanda.

Prachanda, who is on a four-day trip of India, is visiting here after four years. The last time he came here as prime minister and also after first visiting China. He also met India's External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Tuesday.

--Indo-Asian News service

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