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| Nepal: Tripartite Agreement Signed |
| Accord on arms and army management reached by government, Maoists and U.N. |
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Umesh Shrestha (Salokya)  |
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Published 2006-11-29 10:00 (KST) |
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In Nepal representatives of the government, rebel Maoists and the United Nations signed a tripartite agreement on arms and army management Tuesday after five days of "marathon" negotiations.
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FROM THE SECTION |
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| Government and rebel Maoists had already signed peace accord on Nov. 21, which officially ended 11 years of bloody conflict. The U.N. had been insisting on the signing of this tripartite agreement before they could officially begin monitoring.
The agreement was signed Tuesday evening by home minister and head of the government's negotiation team Krishna Prasad Sitaula and the head of the Maoists' delegation, Krishna Bahadur Mahara. On copies of the agreement distributed to journalists, there is also the name of the U.N. General Secretary's personal representative to Nepal, Ian Martin, as witness.
Martin is currently in New York to report on the situation in Nepal to the U.N. secretary general. On a press release he sent from New York, Martin stated that "the agreement is now being reviewed in New York, and comes at a very important time, as the Security Council considers the secretary general's response to Nepal's request."
He claimed that "it sends a very positive signal about the momentum of the peace process in Nepal."
Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan wrote a letter to the Security Council president with regard to the peace process in Nepal and a request for U.N. assistance in that process.
He notes that the United Nations had been requested to monitor the arrangements of arms and armed personnel by providing qualified monitors supported by an appropriate technical capacity.
The 12-page agreement signed Tuesday is divided into seven sections about models, phases and other processes in arms management and monitoring.
The agreement also finalized the most heatedly debated issues such as military exercises held by Maoist armies in camps and the number of Maoist armies with ammunitions to be provided for camp security.
According to the agreement, the government and the Maoists will form a nine-member Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC) to oversee the process. A neutral chairman will be appointed by the United Nations. There will also be two vice chairmen, one each from the Maoist Army and the Nepal Army. The remaining six members will be two U.N. officials, two members from the Nepal Army and two from the Maoist army to be selected by the concerned parties.
| | What will happen next? | | | |
- Maoist army combatants and their weapons shall be confined within designated cantonment areas. After the Maoist army combatants stay in the temporary cantonments, the government of Nepal will provide food supplies and other necessary arrangements.
- After safe storage of all Maoist army weapons and ammunition, in the seven main cantonment areas under U.N. monitoring, both sides shall assist each other to mark landmines and booby-traps used during the time of armed conflict by providing necessary information within 30 days and to defuse and remove/lift and destroy them within 60 days.
- A single lock provided by the U.N. will secure each storage container. The key will be held by the designated main cantonment site commander. A 24-hour surveillance camera will cover the storage site and will be monitored from the UN office in the cantonment site. Floodlights will be switched on automatically during hours of darkness. The U.N. will provide an inspection registration device mounted on each container door indicating when the storage container has been opened. An alarm system will be connected to sirens in both the UN office and the camp commander's office. The system will be activated if the container door is opened without a "safe button" having been switched off in connection with regular inspections.
- All Maoist army combatants will be registered at the main cantonment sites. This registration will include the provision of age, name, rank, responsibilities within unit/formation, date of entry into service and will provide the basis for a complete list of personnel. Maoist combatants will be registered regardless if they are in possession of weapons or not.
- The Nepal Army shall remain in its barracks and its arms are not to be used in favor of or against any side. U.N. monitors will have access to any and all NA barracks for purposes of monitoring whether Nepal Army forces or weapons are being used for or against any party. Upon visiting any Nepal Army barracks for inspection, the site commander will be duly notified, and U.N. inspections will relate only to matters regarding the disposition of forces and weapons.
- The Nepal Army is to store arms in equal numbers to that of the Maoist army, to seal it with a single-lock and give the key to the concerned party. In the process of installing the lock, to assemble a mechanism including a siren and register for the monitoring by the U.N. While carrying out the necessary examination of the stored arms, the U.N. will do so under the presence of the concerned party. The barrack where NA arms will be monitored. The arms will be stored in storage containers.
- Current parliament reinstated by King Gyanendra after April uprising will be dissolved and new interim parliament with rebel Maoists will be set up.
- New interim constitution will be announced where there will be no power [accorded] to current monarchy. Prime Minister will be de facto head of state.
- New interim cabinet headed by current Prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala will be announced where rebel Maoists will also be members.
- The constituent assembly election will be held which will draft new constitution. | | | | |
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©2006 OhmyNews
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