Climate of mistrust threatening Nepal’s peace process: RSG

Written by Administrator

Thursday, 05 November 2009 14:21

New York- All parties in Nepal must work urgently to rebuild trust and achieve consensus, the top United Nations official in the country said today, warning that the crisis sparked by the Prime Minister’s resignation threatens the gains made so far in the peace process.

“This is a volatile moment in Nepal’s peace process,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Representative Karin Landgren told a meeting of the Security Council, adding that the current political crisis reflects a “serious deficit of trust among the principal political actors.”

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (“Prachanda”), who leads the Maoist Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-M), tendered his resignation yesterday after the Chief of Army Staff – who the Prime Minister fired on Sunday – was reinstated.

Ms. Landgren recalled the “significant” progress made in Nepal, including the successful conduct of elections, the ongoing work of the Constituent Assembly, and the declaration of a republic which brought a peaceful end to the monarchy.

At the same time, she expressed concern that the latest developments will “divert already limited attention” being paid to unfulfilled commitments of the peace agreements that ended the country’s decade-long armed conflict in 2006. Chief among these is the drafting of a constitution and the integration or rehabilitation of Maoist army personnel.

“Unfulfilled commitments are the Achilles’ heel of the peace process, and threaten the peace dividend that the people of Nepal expect and so richly deserve,” she said.

The Representative noted that recent developments have “serious implications for the functioning of government and for the nature of the State to be shaped by Nepal’s next constitution.

“In the short term, there is a risk of paralysis with possibly protracted negotiations on forming a new government, and a stalling of preparations for the discharge of the disqualified and integration and rehabilitation of verified Maoist army personnel,” she said.

The Maoists hold 40 per cent of the seats in the Constituent Assembly, more than twice the number of any other party, and the constitution cannot be completed without their support, she noted.

“The peace process which Nepal has driven forward since 2005 has been remarkable, and the events of 2008 of historic magnitude,” she said. “The parties should urgently take steps to rebuild trust and work together in the spirit of compromise and consensus needed to protect the achievements and ensure further progress in the coming weeks and months.

“The next key steps – addressing the future of the Maoist army personnel, and drafting the new constitution - will be extremely difficult to achieve without a greater degree of political cooperation, and a common vision,” she added.

The Security Council today voiced its concern about the current political crisis. In a statement read out by Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, which holds the 15-member body’s presidency for May, the Council underscored “the urgent need for the Government of Nepal and all political parties to continue to work together in the spirit of compromise.”

Also today, Mr. Ban reiterated his serious concern about the political situation in the country during his monthly news conference in New York. “I call for dialogue and consensus to preserve and enhance the gains made from the peace process,” he told reporters.

Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30703&Cr=Nepal&Cr1=

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