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Ban laments slowdown on key elements of Nepal’s peace process

Ban laments slowdown on key elements of Nepal’s peace process

Maoist army personnel  in Nepal are in need of rehabilitation and integration
Progress on key elements in Nepal’s peace process have slowed down or stalled altogether owing to the country’s recent political crisis, says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who proposes a six-month extension of the United Nations mission to continue assisting with remaining tasks.

“The two major tasks at the current stage of the peace process are the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist army personnel and the drafting of the new constitution,” Mr. Ban writes in his latest report on the request of Nepal for UN assistance in support of the peace process.

He notes that efforts to advance on both these fronts slowed with the onset of the crisis sparked by the resignation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (“Prachanda”) in early May, which occurred one day after the Chief of Army Staff – who he had fired – was reinstated.

A senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML), Madhav Kumar Nepal, was elected Prime Minister on 23 May and subsequently formed a new coalition Government with the support of 21 other political parties but without the participation of the Maoists.

“The modest progress witnessed in some aspects of the peace process during the first quarter of 2009 has stalled against a backdrop of mistrust and a further deterioration of relations among key stakeholders, notably between UCPN-M [Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist] and the other major parties and between UCPN-M and the Nepal Army,” says the Secretary-General.

In particular, he notes that while there were promising signs of progress with regard to resolving the future of the Maoist army personnel, efforts have remained at a “standstill” since late April.

“A planning process should be initiated to address in parallel the commitment contained in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Interim Constitution to democratize and determine the appropriate size of the Nepal Army, while ensuring that the institution reflects the diversity of Nepal and is imbued with the values of democracy and human rights,” he writes.

Meanwhile, the task of drafting the constitution has continued to move forward, albeit with numerous hurdles.

“There is near unanimity that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to meet the prescribed time frame of May 2010 for the promulgation of a new constitution,” Mr. Ban states, strongly encouraging progress in this area, based on consensus among the main political actors and the wider public.

He adds that political leaders in Nepal have expressed the view that the presence of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) is needed until the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist army personnel is resolved. Therefore, he recommends that the Mission’s mandate be extended for a further six months, until 23 January 2010.

Established following the signing of the 2006 peace deal by the Government and the Maoists to end the country’s decade-long civil war, UNMIN has been assisting with key tasks, such as monitoring of the management of arms and armed personnel of the Maoists and the Nepal Army.

The Secretary-General also calls on the Government to urgently address the prevailing “climate of impunity,” and says the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal can continue to play an essential and helpful role, including by promoting and protecting human rights and by building the capacity of independent national institutions.