Friday, October 22, 2010

UN Optimists on Nepal’s Peace Process

Although it is yet to know what will happen in case of failure to complete peace process before January 15, 2011, UN Security Council expressed its confidence that it will achievable.

After looking the report given by under Secretary General of Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe, Security Council sees certain hope. After his visit to Nepal, certain drastic political steps have been already taken by both the government and Maoist.

Pascoe visited Nepal on 6 and 7 October on behalf of the Secretary-General and held extensive consultations with key stakeholders in the peace process as part of the preparations to brief the Security Council, which had requested the report on progress in the implementation of the Four-Point Agreement of 13 September between the Government of Nepal and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M). In the same resolution, the Council explicitly stated that UNMIN’s mandate would terminate on 15 January.

According to a press release by UNMIN, the members of the Security Council welcomed the recent visit to Nepal by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe to assess progress ahead of the United Nations Mission in Nepal’s (UNMIN) termination on 15 January 2011.

The members of the Security Council recalled the commitment of the Nepalese political parties to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and noted recent developments in Nepal’s peace process, including the renewed efforts of the Special Committee for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist Army personnel, and the establishment of its secretariat that will take forward the integration and rehabilitation process.

“The members of the Security Council underlined the importance of the agreement and implementation of a clear work plan from the Special Committee that includes timelines and benchmarks and arrangements for the management of any of UNMIN’s residual tasks, following its termination, “said press release.

The members of the Security Council reaffirmed its support for Nepal’s peace process and underscored the need for continued progress in the remaining three months of UNMIN’s mandate, in accordance with resolution 1939 (2010).

The members of the Security Council called on the caretaker government and all political parties to redouble their efforts and continue to work together in the spirit of compromise to fulfill their commitments.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the prospect of a further update on progress following a possible visit by Mr. Pascoe in December.

The members of the Security Council appreciated the ongoing efforts of UNMIN and the Secretary-General’s Representative, Karin Landgren and her team in assisting the people of Nepal.

While addressing the press conference earlier in Nepal Pascoe said,“ there is no doubt that the 15 January deadline for UNMIN’s withdrawal has created a new sense of urgency among the parties, and more focused thinking on how to end the prolonged stasis is taking place. “It is still possible for the parties to meet their targets in time but, as I stressed to all those I met during my visit, it will require translating this new-found sense of urgency into decision-making and concrete action.”

The Under-Secretary-General said that despite recent progress and important steps in the peace process, a political impasse remains and no breakthrough has been achieved. “If the parties fail to manage their differences in order to complete this common agenda, it is they and the people of Nepal that stand to lose,” Pascoe said.

Pascoe stressed that “dialogue continues across Nepal's political fault lines,” adding that many of his interlocutors in Nepal told him that a political breakthrough was possible in early November, after the end of the current holiday period in Nepal. “We also believe this is possible if the parties exhibit the necessary flexibility and will,” he said.

“Progress on forming a consensus government or on the substantive issues related to integration and rehabilitation could provide the critical momentum for a breakthrough,” Pascoe added.

The Under-Secretary-General said that during the time remaining, UNMIN’s priority will continue to be working with the parties to ensure its smooth withdrawal, adding that the UN would follow closely developments on the ground. Pascoe added that the UN’s engagement with Nepal would continue after UNMIN’s withdrawal.

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