Govt, protesters discuss size of states

Negotiators from Nepal's government and the main group protesting the country's new constitution discussed the main issue of the size of proposed states yesterday, but said little progress was made in their second day of talks.

The United Democratic Madhesi Front insisted on immediate changes to the size of the states specified in the constitution, while government negotiators said changes could only be made through an appropriate legal process.

Both sides agreed to discuss the issue among themselves and meet again tomorrow.

The constitution approved last month divides Nepal into seven new states, with some borders slicing through the Madhesis' ancestral homeland in the southern plains along the border with India. Ethnic Madhesis, along with several other small ethnic groups, want the states to be larger and to be given more autonomy over local matters.

"They have said the state is the main issue on which we need to reach an agreement, but we told them that this needs to be done through a process following the constitution," government minister Mahesh Acharya told reporters after yesterday's meeting.

Acharya said changes to the seven states can only be made by a commission that needs to be set up.