Security Council could consider proposal on Nepal next week, says Martin

The Security Council could consider the proposal on Nepal peace process facilitation by the UN, by next week, according to Ian Martin, Secretary General Kofi Annan's Personal Representative to Nepal.

Martin said that Annan has already written a letter to the Security Council president requesting for its mandate for UN monitoring of arms and army in Nepal. The Council's mandate can result in the budgetary resources for carrying out the UN monitoring task.

Addressing a press meet on Saturday, Martin said that the Secretary General has also requested (in his letter to the Council) for swift dispatch of advance team of monitors.

While expressing his reluctance to give a definite timeframe by when the ongoing tripartite negotiations - among the representatives of the government, the Maoists and the UN - to reach a detailed agreement on modalities of management of arms and armed personnel will be concluded, Martin said it was proceeding on a positive atmosphere.

Martin, who is leaving for New York this afternoon to brief his bosses at the UN headquarters, said he would be able to say something about the time duration that will be taken before the UN team of monitors can reach Nepal only after he returns.

Meanwhile, Martin said that in the ongoing negotiations "it is accepted that no recruits made after 25 May (when the ceasefire code of conduct was signed) will be recognized for the purposes of cantonment and if those under 18 years of age are brought to cantonments, they will be reintegrated (to society)."

Martin, who currently heads a team of five military and electoral experts, said one more military advisor and two electoral advisors would be joining his team next week.

When asked if the December 1 timeline (fixed by November 8 agreement) of Maoist joining the interim government after completing cantonments and weapons storage could be honored, Martin said that weapons storage monitoring is not possible to be completed by that time. nepalnews.com sd Nov 25 06