Restoring trust vital to spurring on Nepal’s peace process – UN political chief

All parties involved in Nepal’s peace process must demonstrate their commitment to peace and the democratic process and not get bogged down in short-term political maneuvering, the top United Nations political official said today.

B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, is visiting the Asian nation, where a decade-long civil war claimed some 13,000 lives before the signing of a peace accord in 2006. After conducting Constituent Assembly elections in May 2008, Nepal abolished its 240-year-old monarchy and declared itself a republic.

But the peace process remains largely stalled, threatened by tensions and mistrust between Maoists, the Government and the army.

“The Nepali public has become impatient and disappointed, and the feeling is increasingly shared in the international community,” Mr. Pascoe, who arrived in the country yesterday for a three-day visit, said in an address to the Nepal Institute for Policy Studies in the capital, Kathmandu.

“Beyond the disappointment lies a sense of deep concern for the future, a fear that Nepal’s opportunity for a durable and transformative peace could slip away unless actions are taken urgently to restore the momentum.”

Restoring the promise of the peace pact requires political will, he stressed, especially to reintegrate and rehabilitate former Maoist fighters and also democratize the Nepal Army.

“Unfortunately, Nepal today still has two armies, and no agreed strategy for what to do about this,” Mr. Pascoe said.

In spite of discussions on whether Maoist army integration or the drafting of the new constitution should come first, “there is no agreed action plan,” he noted, calling for the resolution of the issue of the future of Nepal’s two armies.

With the 28 May deadline for the completion of the constitution, the official called for dialogue and consensus to shape the way forward.

For Nepal’s peace process to move forward, he said, the “consensus-based politics” that drove its earlier stages must be revived, with the focus being on long-term successes.

“Restoring trust also requires positive actions to demonstrate sincerity about each party’s commitment to peace and the democratic process,” Mr. Pascoe stated.

All sides should be guided by the “fundamental understanding of the peace process,” such as the commitment to competitive multi-party democracy and civil liberties on the one hand, and Nepal’s political, economic and social transformation on the other, he said.

For its part, the Under-Secretary-General said today, the UN is “privileged” to be a part of the peace process in Nepal, which in turn has made “remarkable contributions” to the Organization’s peacekeeping missions around the world.

He stressed the impartiality of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) and pointed out that in spite of the UN’s vast experience in dozens of conflicts, its “footprint” in the nation is purposely light, at the Asian nation’s request.

“In the face of this situation, we are dismayed that some commentators try to hold the Mission responsible for situations and shortcomings that by the very insistence of the parties themselves, the mission has little or no capacity to control,” Mr. Pascoe said. “This is absurd and should come to an end.”

He underlined that “UNMIN is here to help. It should not take the blame for those who fail to shoulder their responsibilities to make the peace process work.”

UNMIN was set up at the request of the Government in 2007 to support the peace process, as well as to monitor the management of arms and armed personnel of the former Royal Nepal Army and the Maoists. Its current mandate runs until 15 May.

The Under-Secretary-General today also visited a Maoist cantonment in Chitwan, central Nepal, where he saw first-hand the work of UNMIN arms monitors and met with the camp’s leaders.

Speaking to reporters at the site, he voiced concern over the state of the peace process. “We do see things at a very serious point here,” he said. “The process is just not moving the way that it should be.”

He pointed out the danger of “sliding backward if you are not moving forward.”

Yesterday, Mr. Pascoe held talks with Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala and other congressional leaders, as well as with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M), and Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.

He will wrap up his visit to Nepal tomorrow after meeting with top officials, including Defence Minister Bidya Devi Bhandari, Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala and the Chief of Army Staff.

Upon returning to New York, the official will brief the Security Council on the state of Nepal’s peace process.