(REOPENS FGN 17)

The top leaders of the four major political parties are also scheduled to meet Chief Justice�Regmi tomorrow to request him to accept the top post by addressing his concerns. In the wake of media reports that the chief justice has refused to head the election government, Bhattarai refuted such claims saying the top judge was ready to shoulder the responsibility. Nepal has been gripped by a constitutional and political crisis since May last year when the Constituent Assembly was dissolved without drafting the constitution. Elections promised for November were also shelved amid serious differences among the main political parties over who should lead a national unity government, further deepening the crisis. Since then, President Ram Baran Yadav has unsuccessfully tried several times to get all parties together to agree on a national consensus government to break the deadlock.