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UN backs UNMIN stand
KATHMANDU, JUL 13 -
The United Nations on Tuesday claimed a non-paper submitted to political parties by its special political mission, United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), some days ago was prepared after consultation with the major parties in Nepal.
In a daily press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Farhan Haq, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, claimed that UNMIN had prepared the non-paper after consultations with the political parties.
A controversy has sparked following the publication of the UNMIN’s non-paper by The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur. The government on Monday voiced serious objection to the non-paper stating that the action was beyond the jurisdiction of the UNMIN. The non-paper has proposed a hypothetical 60-week timeline for the integration and rehabilitation of cantoned Maoist combatants.
“The issue dealt with in the non-paper containing the timeline, which is the issue I believe you’re referring to, is based on consultations by UNMIN which has been consulting with the main parties in Nepal for some time, and those consultations have taken place with the full knowledge of the Government of Nepal,” said Haq.
The Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction sent a letter to UNMIN Chief Karin Landgren on Monday and said it was “deeply concerned” over news published in the Post and Kantipur on Friday on UNMIN’s work plan for the integration and rehabilitation of the combatants.
“The ideas it has shared with the parties are part of that discussion and are intended to facilitate advance thinking and planning of the implementation of integration and rehabilitation of former Maoist combatants, once political decisions are made by the parties. The completion of UNMIN’s arms monitoring mandate, in large part, is contingent on the parties agreeing on a plan to address the future of the Maoist army personnel,” said Haq.
Last month, UNMIN distributed the ‘Hypothetical Timeline for Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist Combatants’ to leaders of three major political parties — UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN-UML —for discussion. NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat and Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun, who are members of the special committee, had also taken part in the discussion.
Posted on: 2010-07-14 08:08
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