Address NA's problems under UNMIN: Govt

KATHMANDU, Sept 10: Amidst mounting diplomatic pressure on the government and the Maoists to reach a consensus on UNMIN´s fresh mandate, talks between the two sides on Thursday headed in a ´positive direction´, raising hopes of a resolution of the controversy.



The UCPN (M) on Thursday morning sent a separate letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, contesting the government´s letter sent on Tuesday. [break] That prompted the British, American and French ambassadors in Kathmandu to step up diplomatic pressure on the government and the Maoists to take a common position on the next term and mandate for UNMIN.



Following the move by the main opposition, the government and the UCPN-M held rapprochement talks at Singha Durbar to find an amicable solution to the problem complicated by the sending of two competing requests to the UN Secretary-General.



“The talks are headed in a positive direction,” UCPN Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha told Republica, “We have agreed to hold further talks to bridge differences.”



Shrestha and another Maoist leader, Barsha Man Pun, had held a meeting with Home Minister Bhim Rawal and Minister for Culture and Constituent Assembly Affairs Dr Minendra Rijal. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal was also present at the outset of the meeting but later left, authorizing the two ministers to continue talks with the Maoist leaders.



Minister Rijal said the government has sought written commitment from the Maoists on addressing the problems of the national army and on the management of Maoist combatants, including bringing the former rebel fighters under the command and control of the Special Committee.



“The government can be flexible and send a new letter to the UN through consensus if the Maoists commit themselves in writing on these issues,” Rijal said.



Meantime, the government has taken the Maoist letter very seriously and Prime Minister Nepal held a meeting with foreign ministry officials and his advisors at his office Thursday afternoon to discuss the complications arising from the Maoist move.



According to a participant, the government has taken a position in principle to send yet another letter to the UN Secretary-General, clarifying its earlier letter to him, if the Maoist party agrees in writing to address the problems faced by the national army due to monitoring by UNMIN. Such a clarification letter will propose a mandate for UNMIN to monitor the national army as well and ask Ban to consider it part of the earlier letter sent on Tuesday. The earlier letter proposed a mandate for UNMIN focusing on monitoring Maoist combatants and arms. It is silent on monitoring of the national army by the UN political mission.



But the Maoist party has contested the government´s letter and the mandate it proposes for UNMIN; it disagrees with the four-month term extension and “reduced mandate” for UNMIN the government has proposed.



“The role of UNMIN has been limited to monitoring the Maoist army only, brining to an end its role of monitoring both the Nepal Army and the Maoist army,” Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said in the letter to Ban. “It is a direct violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Interim Constitution and all the agreements reached in the past regarding the peace process.”



Soon after the UCPN-M sent the letter, the British, American and French ambassadors met Dahal at the latter´s residence at Nayabazar to encourage the latter to reach consensus. They also met the prime minister in the evening with the same purpose, according to the PM´s Foreign Affairs Advisor, Rajan Bhattarai.



“We have consistently urged both parties for the agreement. We want to see consensus. For Security Council to take initiative requires consensus; requires agreement of both the parties,” said British Ambassador John Tucknott.



US Ambassador Scot H. DeLisi said that they have initiated efforts to encourage both sides to sort out their differences if any and ensure that the Security Council gets a consensus position on UNMIN´s next term and mandate.



“I think we are all in agreement that the fundamental concern is, if UNMIN is going to be able to play any effective role all the parties will have to agree on what the role is. Without such agreement UNMIN cannot operate effectively here,” Ambassador DeLisi told journalists after meeting Dahal.



He further said, “… For us the issue is much less about who is monitoring what or how they monitor. The issue is about monitoring; the issue is about concluding the peace process. The issue of monitoring is not central issue of the focus.”

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