South Asia News
Nepal wants UN peacekeeping mission to end
Apr 19, 2009, 4:12 GMT
Kathmandu - Nepalese prime minister has hinted that the term of United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) may not be extended beyond July, newspaper reports said Sunday.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal told visiting British Under Secretary of State for Defence Kevan Jones that Nepal intended to complete the reintegration of the Maoist combatants by July, and that UNMIN would no longer be needed, the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
'We have set a time table to complete the integration before the expiry of the UNMIN's current mandate on 23 July', the newspaper quoted the prime minister's foreign affairs advisor Hira Bahadur Thapa as saying in relations to Jones' query on the future of UNMIN.
Dahal said the government's special committee for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of the combatants is determined to complete its job by mid-July.
'If things work as planned, we will be in a situation to discharge UNMIN by that time,' the newspaper quoted Thapa saying.
UNMIN came to Nepal in January 2007 on a one-year term after the Nepalese government signed peace with Maoist rebels to end the decade-long insurgency in the Himalayan nation.
The mission has been extended three times on a 6-month basis. Also up for renewal is the tenure of United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Nepal, which expires in June.
The office was established in 2005 during the King Gyanendra's absolute rule, during the height of the conflict.
Nearly 20,000 of the original 32,000 Maoist combatants passed two phases of verification process by UNMIN in 2007.
The former combatants who passed the verification process now qualify for integration into the country's armed forces. However, differences between political parties have stalled the integration process.

COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in South Asia
- 1. Sri Lanka leftist party says leader, activist are abducted
- 2. US agrees to let Afghan forces take lead in night raids
- 3. India, Pakistan leaders want better ties
- 4. Pilot killed in crash of Bangladesh Air Force jet
- 5. Pakistani president visits India for lunch meeting, prayers
Older Talkback
page: 1
page: 1


Dirgha Raj Prasai- NEPALApr 21st, 2009 - 03:22:16
Dear editor,
From the very beginning, Nepal is respectfully following the objectives of UN. But, at present, Nepalese people are confused by the suspicious activities of UNMIN (UN representatives). By hatching such conspiracy Ian Martin, former special representative of the UNMIN and others like him worked and are working to push Nepal into a bloodier civil war and conflict by keeping even the UN headquarters under shadow. From the very beginning, UNMIN has been demoralizing Nepal Army and supporting Maoist and its rebel by allowing them to keep the weapons with them in the cantonment and let them start the youth force (YCL), who can be the law and order itself as they used to do during their revolution. Nowhere in the world, would a country be able to protect its sovereignty by making the national army weak and powerless?
It's because of wrong representatives, that there were bloodshed in countries like Vietnam, North Korea, South Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq. Did UN play any role to avert the civil war? UN also never played any positive role for the right of self-determination of the Palestinians! Why did the UN fail to heal the misery of the people of Lebanon? And not even those who were chased. It is because of the irresponsibility of representatives of UN. We Nepalese nationalists dislike UNMIN, we hate. But the Maoist PM Parcanda's message is only a dramatic-trick about UNMIN's tenure.
Maoist leader Pracanda. Pracanda is a very flexible man. When he visits China, he becomesgreat follower of China, when he meets Indian he becomes more Indian and identifies special relations between Nepal and India. In his visit of UN he met the American –President Bush almost three minute he became as a supporter of free-Tibet.
Now Maoists are supporting the World Bank's Country Director in Nepal-Goldmark. The World Bank has sent to Susan Goldmark has taken over as the Country Director of the World Bank in Nepal and she has decided some controversial agendas, which could prove damaging for the country in the long run. The World Bank has provide four billion rupees for giving to “unemployed youths” under a programme introduced by the Maoist government. There have been complaints galore that the present government is going all out to give these funds to its own cadres and supporters and the Bank is also providing two billion rupees to write off small loans, which will again benefit most Maoist supporters.
So, frist of we should have to understand that the Maoist-led government has failed to maintain the rule of law and become failure to provide social justice to the common people. The rule of law, Judiciary, Nepal army, and prestige of Nepalese identities including Pashupatinath, religious culture & traditions are at peril. The Maoist regime is just like a poisonous wine in a new bottle.
Nepalese people are facing intolerable difficulties. The Maoist-led government or the so-called big parties are neither responsible nor sincere to solve these problems. The reality is that after the removal of the King, not only nationality, but the risk of the nation fading is increasing every day. If we don't accept the King's existence then trouble will be seen in the existence of the nation. So, the King's necessity is being felt more than ever. The democratic powers like USA, European Union, UNO and others are not sounding against the undemocratic attitude in Nepal.
Thank you.
Dirgha Raj Prasai
email:dirgharajprasai@gmail.com
Kathmandu
NEPAL
Report this comment