Nepal: Government, Maoists agree on key details of UN monitoring of peace accord

The Nepalese Government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), together with a United Nations assistance team, have agreed on key details required for the world body to provide effective monitoring of arms and armies as part of a peace accord to end a 10-year civil war that has killed some 15,000 people and uprooted over 100,000 others.

“It sends a very positive signal about the momentum of the peace process in Nepal,” Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Personal Representative in the Himalayan country Ian Martin said today.

The agreement, which is now being reviewed at UN Headquarters in New York, comes at a very important time as the Security Council considers a letter from Mr. Annan urging the 15-member body to support Nepal’s request for the UN assistance.

Last week Mr. Annan pledged to ensure that such assistance arrives as soon as possible to build on the peace accord.

“This agreement places great trust and responsibility on the United Nations as it asks that we assist Nepal in various aspects of the peace process, including as an immediate step the monitoring of arms and armed personnel and providing electoral assistance,” he said in a statement issued by his spokesman a day after the peace accord was signed.