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Cabinet leaves UNMIN fate to PM
KATHMANDU, MAY 03 -
The Cabinet on Monday authorised Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to take a call on the future of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN).
The discussion on the UN body’s future has gained momentum as the UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss Nepal’s peace process in New York this week. The current tenure of UNMIN expires on May 15.
“The Prime Minister will soon take a decision on the mandate and tenure of UNMIN,” Prime Minister’s Foreign Relations Advisor Rajan Bhattarai said after a Cabinet meeting.
During the hour-long meeting at the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar, ministers of ruling parties, the CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress, scaled down the existing mandate of UNMIN by withdrawing its monitoring role over Nepal Army.
“The prime minister will now take a final call on whether the mandate should be revised,” Minister for Commerce and Supplies Rajendra Mahato said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has proposed that UNMIN’s term be extended till December 15, 2010. MoFA has said it will communicate the government’s fresh decision to the UN headquarters and a letter on the tenure extension will be dispatched once the prime minister takes a decision.
Talking to the Post before the Cabinet meeting, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Rakam Chemjong said there is consensus between the government and the main opposition UCPN (Maoist) on extending UNMIN’s tenure till December.
“As there are differences among parties, I think UNMIN’s tenure will be extended without any major revision of the mandate,” he added.
The Maoists have said they are open to discussion on revising the current mandate, but the party will not accept the withdrawal of UNMIN’s monitoring of Nepal Army.
“While taking a decision on UNMIN, its current mandate should be kept as it is,” said Krishna Bahadur Mahara,
head of the Maoist party’s Foreign Department.
Posted on: 2010-05-04 08:49
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