Nepal: Ban concerned over fallout from resignation of Prime Minister
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced sadness over the turn of events that led to the resignation today of the Prime Minister of Nepal, and has called on all concerned to resolve the crisis through dialogue and consensus.
The relationship between the Government and the Chief of Army Staff, who was fired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday, lies at the centre of the turmoil.
The Prime Minister, who leads the Maoist Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-M), tendered his resignation after the Chief of Army Staff was later reinstated.
In a statement attributable to his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said he “is saddened by developments leading to this resignation.” However, he is also “encouraged by the Maoist party’s assurances of its commitment to the peace process, including continued participation in the drafting of the constitution.”
The Secretary-General also appealed for the strict adherence to the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, especially the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA), which stipulates clear and specific restrictions on the Nepal Army and the Maoist army.
In a report released last week, Secretary-General noted that progress has been made in Nepal’s peace process, including steps towards drafting a new constitution, but warned that relations between the CPN-M and its main coalition partner, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (UML), as well as among the four political parties in the Maoist-led coalition Government, remain “fractious, marked by public acrimony and weak consultation over major decisions.”
In a statement issued on Sunday after the army chief was fired, Mr. Ban called on “all concerned to resolve the crisis through dialogue and consensus, with full respect for the provisions of the constitution.”
A decade-long civil war, claiming some 13,000 lives, ended in 2006 with the signing of a peace accord between the Government and Maoists. After conducting Constituent Assembly elections last May, the nation abolished its 240-year-old monarchy and declared itself a republic.