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Nepal Requests UN Assistance For Peace Process
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
May 6, 2010: a news posted on the UN website has stated that Nepalese Ambassador to UN Gyan Chandra Acharya expressing gratitude to the UN for its help in the peace process has said that his Government is seeking a four-month extension of the mandate of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which ends on 15 May, 2010.
“The Government and people of Nepal remain thankful to the United Nations for providing a helping hand since the beginning of our peace process,” he stated. “I am hopeful that the Council will favorably consider the request of my Government for the extension of the mandate of UNMIN until 15 September.”
“Nepal’s peace process is at a delicate and critical moment, as negotiators work to resolve the current stand-off between Maoist supporters and the Government, primarily over Maoist demands for a national unity government,” Karin Landgren, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Representative in Nepal, told the Security Council.
The peace process has stalled recently, threatened by tensions and mistrust between Maoists, the Government and the army. Ms. Landgren warned of the “grave risks” to the peace process should the political deadlock persist.
“The risks grow from one day to the next,” said Ms. Landgren, head of UNMIN. “This situation should not be allowed to continue, and all encouragement is needed for both sides to deepen their discussion, come to agreement, and resolve the crisis speedily.”
“All the elements of a solution to this impasse are acknowledged by the major parties. The main stumbling blocks in the negotiations are reportedly the timing and leadership of a new national unity government, and the modalities for the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist army personnel,” she stated.
There are nearly 20,000 Maoist army personnel to be integrated into the security forces or rehabilitated following the peace accord. “The former Maoist combatants urgently need solutions, as individuals and as a key to the peace process of Nepal,” Ms. Landgren stated.
According to Mr. Ban’s latest report, which Ms. Landgren presented to the Council, no substantive forward movement has been made on the main outstanding tasks of the peace process, namely resolving the future of the two armies – that of Nepal and the Maoists – and completing the drafting of the constitution by the deadline of 28 May.
He also notes that at the core of the stalemate are disagreements over integration and rehabilitation, certain key aspects of a new constitution, and power-sharing arrangements, which appear to be compounded by “mutual mistrust, insufficient political will and weak mechanisms for the implementation of past agreements.”
Other challenges to the fragile peace process include continuing disaffection among traditionally marginalized groups, the heightened visibility of the opposition to some agreed tenets including federalism, republicanism and secularism, and the widespread threats of fresh confrontation.
“Only adherence to existing commitments and a negotiated political settlement will offer a satisfactory outcome for the future of the country,” says Mr. Ban, who calls on the political party leaders to redouble their efforts to find a solution.
