Army chief Chhatraman Singh Gurung on Friday met Peace Minister Rakam Chemjong at the latter´s office to convey the national army´s stance on renewal of mandate for the UN´s political mission yet one more time, according a source privy to the meeting. The current mandate of UNMIN expires on September 15. [break]
A political source told Republica that the army chief has also communicated the national army´s reservations on UNMIN´s term extention to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. But Nepal´s Press Advisor Bishnu Rijal said he was unaware of the matter.
"UNMIN´s term should not be extended any more. The Maoist combatants should be brought under the command and control of the Special Committee immediately. The committee should complete the management of Maoist arms and armies," the source quoted the army chief as telling Chemjong during their meeting.
The army´s reservations over UNMIN´s presence beyond September 15 comes on the day the UN political mission held consultations with leaders of the three major parties on its future. UNMIN chief Karin Landgren and other officials held a meeting with Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML leaders Friday morning to discuss the mission´s future, the parties´ expectations from the UN and UNMIN´s exit strategies in case its term is not renewed.
The army´s view on UNMIN´s term extension comes close on the heel of the latter´s protest at the army´s - and the Maoist army´s - new recruitment drive. UNMIN had said early this month that recruitment by either side violated the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA).
The army chief referred to Clause 10.5 of the CPA signed between the then seven-party alliance government and the then CPN-M in November 2006 in arguing why UNMIN is not needed any more, the source further said.
The Clause reads, "The concept and existence of the ´two sides´ as mentioned in this agreement shall automatically come to an end after the constitution of the Interim Legislature-Parliament [it was constituted in January 2007]. Thereafter, all the responsibility of implementing the obligations mentioned in this agreement shall be as per the arrangements made by the Interim Council of Ministers. It shall be the duty and responsibility of all political parties to extend cooperation in the compliance and implementation of the agreement."
But the UCPN-M is against any plan to bid farewell to the UN political mission before the peace process ends.
"There can be no alternative to a neutral organization like the UN to complete the remaining task of the peace process," Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun said about his party´s stance on UNMIN´s future stay in Nepal, hours before the peace minister´s meeting with the army chief.
He further said that UNMIN´s mandate should be extended tentatively till May 28, 2011 when the term of the Constituent Assembly expires.
"The constitution writing process and the peace process should go simultaneously. And UNMIN´s mandate should be extended accordingly," he told journalists after the meeting with UNMIN officials. "It does not however mean that UNMIN should stay here for nine more months."
But Pun quickly added that UNMIN´s next term should be longer than three or four months.
But the Nepali Congress has a different view. "The mandate should be revised as it has become obsolete now," said NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, who represented his party during the meeting with UNMIN officials.
Mahat said that the army should now be taken off supervision by UNMIN.
Emerging from the meeting, UNMIN chief Landgren said the political parties should decide the future of her office but urged the government and the parties to take a decision in that regard as early as possible.
Landgren disappointed
UNMIN chief Karin Landgren has expressed her frustration before the political parties over lack of progress in the peace process since the last renewal of mandate for her office in May.
"There has been no progress in the peace process," she said, "The parties have been entirely preoccupied, since the last report, with banda, CA term extension and the question of government leadership. It is frustrating for UNMIN and for the Security Council."
Saying that UNMIN is an expensive investment for the UN Security Council and the international community, she said that Security Council members would be frustrated when they meet in September to discuss Nepal´s peace process.
"…If they do not see greater attention being paid to core elements of the peace process, I can predict that there will be extreme frustration in the Council," she said when asked whether the Council will easily accept Nepal´s request to extend the term of her office yet another time given the situation of no progress in the peace process.
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