High-rank Nepali official said the government is ready to reshuffle army integration panel, local newspaper The Rising Nepal reported today.

Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Finance Minister and senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) which is leading the coalition government formed in August, yesterday assured other parties that the government would reshuffle the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC).

Addressing at yesterday's parliament meeting, he said, "We do not intend to isolate any party from this committee. The government is ready to reshuffle it."

Lawmakers from the largest opposition party in the Constituent Assembly (CA) Nepali Congress (NC) and another party, Terai Madhesh Democratic Party (TMDP), at Friday's meeting, had warned of obstructing the parliament unless it addressed their agendas including the reshuffle of the committee. They have charged the government with forming the committee unilaterally.

Dr. Bhattarai said that the government was ready to arrive at a consensus on the definition about the "major parties" as mentioned in the Interim Constitution for army integration. He said that the government was serious about the issues raised by the lawmakers.

"We are ready to move ahead through dialogue and consultation to address the issues," he said.

After minister Bhattarai's assurance, TMDP lawmakers postponed their earlier program of obstructing parliament meeting yesterday.

Nepali government on Oct. 28 formed a special committee for army integration under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bamdev Gautam. Members of the committee include two members from the ruling CPN-M, and one each from another coalition party Madhesi People 's Rights Forum and the opposition party NC to be inducted.

The special committee is expected to oversee management, integration and rehabilitation of the CPN-M combatants monitored by UN. However, NC was against the "unilateral" formation and has not assigned any representative to the committee.

The CPN-M and the then Seven-Party Alliance government in November, 2006 signed the Comprehensive Peace Accord, ending the decade civil war since 1996.