UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon will propose ending the UNMIN's mandate in Nepal if political parties fail to fulfill their earlier agreements and commitments linked to the integration of the former Maoist guerrilla force with the military.
The tenure of United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) is set to end on September 15 even as the country has been in political limbo since the June 30 resignation of Madhav Kumar Nepal, who is currently heading a caretaker government.
Ban has said that he will propose termination of the mandate of the UNMIN, which is tasked to manage the arms and armed personnel of the Maoists guerrilla force and the military, if political parties here fail to reach a consensus on fulfilling their commitments on the future of the military and the former Maoist combatants and the phasing out of mission.
Ban's warning over the future of UNMIN appears in his latest report to be submitted to the UN Security Council, which is set to meet on September 7 to consider its extension beyond September 15.
"Should these discussions offer neither clarity over the role of the Mission nor any prospect of consensus among the parties to the CPA and AMMAA (Agreement on Management and Monitoring of Arms and Armies) regarding a realistic and time-bound fulfillment of their commitments concerning the armies and the phasing out of UNMIN monitoring, then I will propose alternative measures to the Council, including the possible termination of UNMIN's mandate," Ban said in the report, which has been circulated to Nepal and UN Security Council members only.
"Since January 2010, the Council has acceded to two requests for four-month extensions of the mission. I am not in favour of repeated extensions of the Mission´s mandate in an atmosphere of persistent and unfounded criticism that complicates its ability to function,” Ban was quoted as saying by the myrepublica online, the website of Republica newspaper today.
The world body established the UNMIN as a special political mission in 2007 with a mandate to manage the arms and armed personnel of the Maoists and the Nepal Army. Its term has so far been renewed six times and expires on September 15.
The extension for UNMIN has become controversial, with senior ministers and political leaders from the non-Maoist parties often criticising the mission for its role in monitoring the peace process.
Since its last term extension in May, it has been target of wide criticism after its 60-week plan of action for management of Maoist combatants was leaked to media. UNMIN was accused of doing something that does not fall under its mandate.
Moreover, the army recently accused the mission of favouring the Maoists. In the past, UNMIN was also accused of not properly monitoring the Maoist combatants housed in UN-supervised cantonments.
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