UN Support For Nepal To Continue

UN Support For Nepal To Continue After Its Mission Departs – Official

New York, Dec 4 2010 6:10PM

The United Nations will continue to support Nepal's development efforts, as well as the process towards political stability, even after the departure of the UN mission from the country next month, the head of the world body's department of political affairs said today.
"The UN, of course, is in no way abandoning Nepal just because UNMIN [UN Mission in Nepal] is leaving," B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told a news conference in Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital.

"We have been deeply involved here. All of the UN agencies and the country team are deeply committed to helping Nepal's development, and we will continue our interest in the political process," he said.

The Security Council has decided to wrap up by 15 January the mandate of the UNMIN, which was set up in 2007, a year after the Government and the Maoists signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), ending a decade-long civil war which claimed some 13,000 lives.

"Nepal, as you may know, will remain on the Security Council agenda automatically for three years after the closure of UNMIN. Therefore, it will be very important that we continue to be engaged to do everything we can to help the process move forward," Mr. Pascoe said.

Mr. Pascoe said he had "good meetings" with Nepal's political leaders, government officials and members of the diplomatic corps.

"I think it is evident to all of us that the peace process in Nepal is moving into a critical period. This makes it all the more important that the leaders of Nepal move very quickly to resolve the issues of integration and rehabilitation, power-sharing and the drafting of a new constitution," he said.

He stressed the need for Nepal's leadership to expedite the integration of Maoist military personnel into the national army.

"We have a process now with six weeks to go and it is very important that things be in place when UNMIN leaves so that the process will move forward smoothly. It is essential that the details of any monitoring regime be worked out as a follow on to UNMIN's withdrawal from the cantonments," he said.

Mr. Pascoe said he was convinced that it is possible to resolve all the outstanding issues, but stressed that time is very short, while calling for political will of all the parties to make sure the process is completed.

"I heard differing views on this trip, disagreements in some areas. But I am convinced that these different views are bridgeable. What is really needed are the key compromises that can only come from the political will of the party leaders," he added.

ends

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