US announces aid; policy on NA remains unchanged
While the United States announced a ‘peace process support’ of US$ 2 million (Rs 155 million) to the Nepal Army (NA), it also said its policy on the Army remains unchanged.
The US put a rider on military aid after the royal takeover of February 2005 and limited its assistance to the Army to humanitarian relief, including international peacekeeping and reconstruction operations.
The Barack Obama administration had in 2010 suggested the NA improve its human rights record, initiate reforms to redefine its mission and adjust its size and facilitate the integration of Maoist combatants in order to receive aid under the Foreign Military Financing Programme.
However, with the peace process seeing some positive developments, the US Embassy in Kathmandu on Tuesday announced financial support to fund training and equipment for the new directorate in the Army that will be formed to integrate the Maoist combatants.
In response to a query by the Post, US Embassy Spokesperson Heather Steil said the assistance does not mark a shift in the US policy on the NA.
“The two million dollars in assistance to the Nepal Army announced today does not represent a change in US policy,” she said. “This amount is an additional Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and International Military Education and Training (IMET) funding made available specifically to provide technical and training support for the new Nepal Army directorate,” she added. The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2010 signed by Obama requires the Secretary of States to certify that the NA was implementing reforms to meet its conditions for receiving funds. During his official visit to the US last year, Chief of Army Staff General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung had urged American diplomats to lift the conditions on military aid.
“The US puts such conditions to armies of post-conflict countries. With the settlement of the peace process, we hope that they will revise their policy,” said a general at the Army Headquarters.
The US also welcomed the deal on army integration and expressed hope that the process of transfer of combatants to their new positions in the Army would start in the near future.
“The former Maoist fighters and their new Nepal Army colleagues will, we hope, become one team working to build Nepal’s future through disaster mitigation, infrastructure support and protection of nation’s natural resources,” US Ambassador to Nepal Scott H DeLisi wrote on his Facebook page.
Posted on: 2012-02-08 07:57
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