OHCHR-N term is expiring Thursday.[break]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayankaji Shrestha reiterated the government position on the future of OHCHR-N on Tuesday night when Republica asked whether the government would review its position as demanded by the opposition parties -- Nepali Congress and CPN-UML -- and the national and international human rights community.
“There will be no extension but the government will give OHCHR-N time to pack up. This should not be misconstrued as term extension," Shrestha, who is also the government spokesperson, said. The deputy prime minister, who is also the Maoist party´s vice chairman, reiterated that the government has not changed the previous government´s decision that requires the UN human rights office to prepare an exit strategy before Thursday.
Shrestha´s statement to Republica came hours after Maoist Chairman on told senior UN officials that he would "positively" raise this issue with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai Wednesday.
Dahal on Tuesday morning met UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Robert Piper and OHCHR-N Chief Jyoti Sanghera to discuss term extension of the UN human rights body at his residence in Nayabazar.
"He told them that he would positively talk to the prime minister about the term extension and ask him to find a solution," said Samir Dahal, the party chairman´s personal secretary, about the meeting between Dahal and the senior UN officials.
However, a source told Republica that Dahal reportedly assured Piper and Sanghera that he would ask the prime minister to extend the OHCHR-N term. But Dahal´s secretary said he gave no such assurance to the UN officials.
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