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| Kathmandu, Monday March 10, 2003 Falgun 26, 2059. |
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Govt
to table code of conduct in cabinet meeting today
Monitoring committee to be formed
Post Report
POKHARA, March 9:The
designated official co-ordinator and Physical Planning Minister, Narayan Singh Pun, today
said the government would table the mutually agreed code of conduct in Monday’s
meeting of the Council of Ministers and the same would be made public on Tuesday with
mutually desired changes.
He, however, did not
say anything about the changes made by the Maoist negotiators in the revised draft of the
code of conduct.
Addressing a
felicitation programme organised by Ex-Army Servicemen Club here, he also disclosed that a
committee comprising representatives of all political parties, including the Maoists, and
civil society would be constituted in all the districts to monitor whether or not the code
of conduct were respected by the parties involved.
"I have understood
the revised draft submitted by the Maoists. The draft will be tabled in the cabinet
meeting tomorrow after fine-tuning in one or two points and they will be made public on
Tuesday."
Pun said that he had
already held talks with chief Maoist negotiator Dr. Baburam Bhattarai regarding the
formation of such monitoring committees in all the districts to monitor the situation
after mutually agreeing upon the code of conduct.
"This (all-party
monitoring committee) will thoroughly monitor whether or not the code of conduct are
adhered by the parties involved, and there will be no rooms for accusations and counter
accusations against each other," he added.
He said that the
government was planning to arrange foodstuffs and medicine for the Maoists, keeping in
mind the impending violation of the code of conduct prior to the beginning of formal peace
talks.
He disclosed the
government’s plan of providing the rebels with about 1,500 tonnes of food-grains with
support from donor agencies while addressing a function in Parbat district yesterday. He
said that the government decided to supply them food and medicine so that the rebels may
not resort to looting spree for lack of essential goods.
Minister Pun said the
proposed peace talks would not be delayed even if efforts to accommodate major political
parties in the process failed.
He said some national
and international forces were hatching conspiracy to derail the peace process.
"Various power centres provoke me against the peace process in Kathmandu. But I let
them go in one ear and out the other," he said, adding that nobody could prevent the
desire of the people for peace and stability. At one point, he said that no political
parties, including the Maoists, should set their political agenda only as means to come to
power.
Referring to the Maoist
leaders’ insistence on speeding up the peace process, the government negotiator said
lasting peace would not be achieved by merely proceeding with quick peace talks. "The
peace talks should also be able to address the problems of all ethnic communities, dalits
and social discriminations."
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