E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, JUN 06 - In its third meeting since the three-month term extension of the Constituent Assembly on May 28, the Special Committee led by Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal on Monday set a clear timeline for finalising the modality of integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants by June 19--providing further impetus to the peace process and cooperation among parties.

A meeting of the cross-party mechanism also endorsed a calendar outlining three tasks to be completed by June 24 that includes deployment of monitors to satellite cantonments--which have been left virtually without surveillance since the departure of UNMIN in mid-January--finalising the modality of integration and rehabilitation, and recruitment of surveyors to profile the combatants.

The committee continues to make incremental progress on the issue of integration and rehabilitation amid increasing willingness among parties to speed up the peace process.   

As per the calendar agreed on Monday, the Special Committee will forge consensus on the integration modality, rank harmonisation policy, number of combatants to be integrated in the Nepal Army and standard norms of integration by June 19.

Parties will determine the rehabilitation package that would offer vocational, educational and skill development trainings and golden handshake for combatants choosing the voluntary retirement option.

Informally, party leaders have held discussions to introduce a more detailed work plan soon to take the peace process to an "irreversible point" by Aug 28, the last day of the extended CA term.

“The preparation of calendar is an important step to take forward the integration and rehabilitation process,” Prime Minister Khana, who is also the Coordinator of the committee, told reporters after an hour-and-half long meeting. Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat said that the Special Committee plans to carry out regrouping of combatants into three distinct categories in next three months: integration, rehabilitation and voluntary retirement groups.

The Special Committee had last week decided to dispatch 120 surveyors to carry out legwork for the regrouping process. The calendar unveiled on Monday aims to complete recruitment and training of surveyors, who will work in three-groups for profiling the combatants, by June 24.

The Special Committee has also directed its secretariat to dispatch 126 monitors to satellite cantonments by Friday.  The monitoring team comprising members from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and the PLA will form a six-member team and will be responsible for supervision and control of 21 satellite cantonments.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress has proposed that the surveyors team be mobilised in the cantonment sites from June 27 onwards. The experts' team will conduct counseling, survey the interest of the combatants and distribute identity cards based on the preference of the combatants.

Posted on: 2011-06-06 07:04

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