E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, JAN 16 -

Surveillance of weapons containers of Nepal Army and PLA stayed  uninterrupted as arms monitors sent by the Special Committee reached the cantonment sites and Chhauni barracks on Saturday evening after Friday’s pact between the government and opposition UCPN (Maoist). Without the agreement, the surveillance equipment would have been switched off at midnight Saturday.

UNMIN will hand over its monitoring assets to the Special Committee, thanks to the deal. UN arms monitors briefed the 8-member team on handling close circuit television cameras (CCTVs) and arms monitoring. 

“Two representatives each from Nepal Army (NA), Nepal Police, Armed Police Force (APF) and PLA reached the concerned locations this evening and took over the arms monitoring function,” Special Committee Secretariat Coordinator Balananda Sharma said.

The 64-member mechanism that took over UNMIN’s arms monitoring consists of serving colonels and majors from NA, superintendents of police and deputy superintendents of police from APF, deputy superintendents of police and inspectors from Nepal Police and battalion commanders and vice commanders of the PLA. Meanwhile, the ex-Gurkha soldiers,  logistics official security guards from Group Four hired by UNMIN, will stay on at the eight weapon storage sites for a week to brief the team on monitoring responsibilities.

Secretariat member and PLA Spokesperson Chandra Prakash Khanal said that the deployment of the joint team was only a temporary arrangement and that it would be replaced if once there is consensus among parties on the new mechanism.

He said there was no need to monitor the cantoned combatants at the local level.  “Our colleagues are committed to the peace process, so there is no need of a mechanism to monitor them at the local level.” “If there is any dispute the cross-party mechanism comprising members of Special Committee and its Secretariat will resolve them.” 

UNMIN chief Karin Landgren said that the last-minute agreement signed by the two sides on Friday paved the way for the UN Headquarters to consider a temporary loan and later donation of the CCTV equipment and other monitoring-related assets. “The need for agreed follow-on monitoring arrangements before any transfer of UN assets that could be considered appears to be met,” Landgren said in a statement on Saturday. 

The 12-member secretariat body held talks with Landgren and UNMIN officials on Saturday. Landgren assured that the UN would continue to offer its support to the new monitoring mechanism.

“We will soon finalise a list of logistics that we want to borrow from the UN,” said secretariat member Deepak Prakash Bhatta. The parties want the UN to hand over its vehicles and offices set up on the cantonment sites.

Meanwhile, PM Madhav Kumar Nepal and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal held talks this morning to fix a date for a formal ceremony to mark the transfer of control over PLA to Special Committee and agreed to organise the ceremony within seven days. The date of the formal ceremony is likely to be announced in the Maoist Standing Committee scheduled for Sunday.

Farewell party

The Maoists will give a special farewell on Sunday to UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren and her team. Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara said senior party leaders including Chairman Dahal will attend. Landgren also made a farewell call on Prime Minister Nepal on Saturday morning. (PR)

 

Posted on: 2011-01-16 08:48

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