The government Friday dismissed media reports thatNepal has sought Sri Lanka’s help to end the political standoff in the country, amid Parliament’s failure to elect a new Prime Minister.

President Ram Baran Yadav’s office in Kathmandu said these were “totally baseless rumour” as the country’s leadership has never sought help from any foreign country to end the political crisis.

“This was hypothetical and totally baseless rumour,” said Rajendra Dahal, press advisor of the President. “Nepal has never sought help of any foreign country to diffuse the internal tension,” he underlined.

Media reports have claimed that President Yadav had sought Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s help in ending the political deadlock in Nepal.

As per Lankan media reports, Lanka’s External Affairs Minister G L Peiris had claimed that the Nepalese President had sought his Lankan counterpart Rajapaksa’s help to end the crisis in the country during their meeting last month in China on the sidelines of the Shanghai Expo.

“The claim was totally baseless and no such request was made by the President,” Dahal said. He, however, admitted that the two had met in Sanghai during the expo. Nepal’s

Parliament is deadlocked over the election a new Prime Minister and 16 rounds of voting since Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned on 30^th June have failed to elect a new leader.

The report claiming Sri Lankan president’s possible mediation in diffusing the crisis comes at a time when the main opposition Maoists have made a hue and cry about India’s alleged interference in the internal affairs of Nepal.