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UN urges Maoists, Govt to agree on arms management
The UN team met PM Koirala at his residence to discuss the peace process, including a plan for the rebels to join the interim Govt.
A senior UN official on Monday urged Maoist rebels and the Nepal government to agree on a formula for arms management to ensure the success of talks to end a decade-old insurgency.
"It is very important to have urgently on the side of all of the Nepalese interlocutors a common understanding, especially regarding the issue of arms management," said Staffan DeMistura, head of a UN mission invited to Nepal to guide the implementation of a ceasefire and peace process started in June.
The UN envoys, experts on elections, police and human rights, arrived on Thursday to offer advice to the new government and the rebels who joined hands in protests that led to King Gyanendra giving up absolute power in April.
"The United Nations is focusing on Nepal and Nepal has got a very special moment in order to make the peace process work," DeMistura said in a statement.
The UN team also met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at his residence to discuss the peace process, including a plan for the rebels to join the interim government.
"The prime minister told the UN delegation that the rebels will not be incorporated in the interim government until they are disassociated from their weapons," Koirala's advisor Suresh Chalise told reporters after the meeting.
Arms management has been a key issue since the government agreed to a Maoist demand to hold elections to a constituent assembly that would rewrite the constitution and decide the monarchy's future.
