Nepal: UN rights chief hails government's pledge to respect humanitarian laws

A week after Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced concern at the escalation of fighting in Nepal with its mounting toll of civilian casualties and human rights abuses, the senior United Nations human rights official today hailed the Government's recommitment to its international humanitarian obligations.

Welcoming the Government's declaration of 26 March, Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan reiterated his readiness to provide technical assistance to support the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal (NHRC) in carrying out the necessary monitoring role.

In a letter to Nepalese Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, Mr. Ramcharan noted that the Government's commitment provided for a specific monitoring role for NHRC with external technical assistance and stressed that to be effective, the declaration needed to be accompanied by a firm commitment to nationwide monitoring of adherence to international standards under the aegis and mandate of the NHRC.

He expressed his sincere hope that the move would help protect civilians from the armed conflict and contribute to building confidence in the Himalayan kingdom, which has been torn by conflict between the government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

Mr. Annan called on both sides last week "to take immediate steps to end the fighting and resume the peace process with the participation of all political and civil forces in the country."