KATHMANDU. June 5: Five Nepalese left parties including the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), the main opposition in the parliament, have jointly called for postponement of the upper house by-election, reports Xinhua.

Nepal will hold its first byelection of one third members of the 60-member upper house (National Council) on June 22 and 27.

Local leading English newspaper "The Rising Nepal" reported today that the UML, the Communist Party of Nepal (United), the Nepal Labour Peasants Party, the Nepal Sadbhavana Party and the Samyukta Janamorcha de-

dared that they are boycotting the coming by-election as "it is being in contravention of the existing constitutional provision of single transferable votes based on the principle of proportional representation."

Meanwhile, preparations for the election Including fixing the dates for candidates to file their nominations have started In some places, according to the election committee.

AFP adds: Nepalese Prime Minister Giiija Prasad Koirala Friday cancelled a planned visit to France, for Technical reasons" citing a double-booking for foreign travel In mid-June.

Koirala, who was due to

meet French President Francois Mitterrand midmonth, told a crowded press conference at his residence, that he would visit Vienna to attend the International conference there Instead and pay an official visit to Israel on his way back home^

Koirala recalled that his late brother, former Prime Minister Bisweshwore Prased Koirala, was one of the first government heads to recognize the Israeli government in the late 1950s.

He said he was therefore keen to visit Israel and observe agricultural and rural development projects there.

He said Nepal would not raise the issue of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal at the Vienna human rights conference, preferring to solve the problem bilaterally.

Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees of Nepalese descent are sheltering in camps of far eastern Nepal run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other non-gov-crnmental organisations.

Koirala said Nepal's reputation abroad was rising gradually as the government bolstered law and order and improved the economy through bilateral trade and industrial policies.