NEPAL: UN to speed up assistance on arms management process
KATHMANDU, 7 December (IRIN): The UN Security Council (UNSC) has approved the recruitment of 35 monitors for management of arms and armies in Nepal, Ian Martin, personal representative of the UN Secretary-General in Nepal, said on Thursday.
Both the Maoist rebels and the interim government in the Himalayan Kingdom has previously requested UN assistance in supporting the peace process.
On 8 November, the Maoists and the interim government of seven national parties signed a historic peace agreement to end the decade-long armed conflict that had claimed the lives of over 14.000 people.
In addition, the conflict also internally displaced 100.000 to 200.000 people, according to Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Among the top priorities set out by both sides in the agreement were the management of arms and armies, as well as holding elections to a constituent assembly (CA- forfatningsgivende forsamling).
The agreement said that there would be basic arrangements for the cantonment (indkvartering) of the combatants of the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and for the storage of arms and munitions from both sides.
The UN was requested to monitor the arrangements relevant to management of arms and armed personnel by providing qualified monitors.
– We are looking forward to a rapid deployment of our monitors, said Martin, who added that the UN has been moving swiftly and actively to assist in Nepals peace process.
Meanwhile, a UN technical assessment mission team will arrive in a weeks time to determine the full scope of logistical and security requirements.
They will help to develop an integrated concept of operations for a UN political mission that could deliver the support and assistance required to secure a peaceful political transition leading to CA elections, Martin said.
A team of 25 electoral personnel from the UN will also be deployed soon to provide the required technical advice and support to the Nepalese electoral authorities and the parties in the run-up to CA elections, he added.
