KATHMANDU, FEB 25 -

United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) Chief Karin Landgren on Thursday met Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Rakam Chemjong to discuss the government's request for confidential data on Maoist combatants.

In a statement issued today, the UNMIN said it shared copies of the Agreement on Monitoring the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA), one of the key documents of Nepal's peace process, which provides that such information from the parties will be treated with appropriate confidentiality by the United Nations (Article 2).

"As UNMIN informed the Ministry on 16 February, the sharing of such data may be considered under suitable conditions. The request for data-sharing could, for example, be considered by the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC), the body in which the modalities for registration and confidentiality were originally agreed, and which is responsible for resolving any questions relating to implementation of the AMMAA," read the statement. 

During the meeting, Landgren reiterated UNMIN's readiness to assist the government in the ongoing peace process "in a manner which would not require the Mission to compromise UN's obligations or impartiality," the statement said. 

The duo also discussed the issue of the number of Maoist fighters in the UN-monitored cantonments.

"It is the responsibility of the signatories to the AMMAA to provide accurate and updated numbers on their current personnel strength. Neither the Nepal Army nor the Maoist combatants has done so, an issue which was again brought to their attention at the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee of 24 February 2010."

 

Posted on: 2010-02-25 07:16

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