Readiness For Support

By sending a seasoned negotiator, the UN Secretary General has shown his keen concerns about Nepal situation

By A CORRESPONDENT

In a clear indication of growing international anxiety over the deteriorating situation in Nepal , UN Secretary General Kofi Annan sent one of his most-trusted aides to Nepal to take stock of the situation here.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the Algerian diplomat, who as Special Advisor to Annan has served in places like Iraq , Afghanistan , Sudan etc, made a short trip to Nepal last week and met with political leaders and civil society representatives.

After a series of consultations that saw him meeting with King Gyanendra, Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koirala, Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and others, Brahimi made an important observation. “The solution rests on three elements – a return to constitutional order and multiparty democracy, an end to hostilities, and an inclusive national dialogue towards negotiated solution to the underlying causes of conflict.”

According to him, the situation in Nepal was not ‘as bad as it can be.’ He urged the political actors to act fast to arrest the deterioration of situation here.

Brahimi told reporters at the press conference that Nepal needs no international mediation. “Neither we nor anybody else is needed, the UN believes that the Nepalis are capable of developing the necessary process, which would allow them to achieve a peaceful resolution, which we all wish to see,” Brahimi said, adding, “If our help is requested (with an agreement of) all the parties, we won’t say no.”

Earlier, vice chairman of the Council of Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista, too, had said that the government does not feel the need to seek the United Nations (UN) mediation to resolve the conflict in Nepal . “We neither need the UN nor India to mediate in the resolution of the conflict. We believe that the government is competitive enough and there has been a lot of improvement in the situation in the country (in recent months),” Bista told reporters after holding consultations with Brahimi. Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya told Brahimi that Nepal would make request (for UN help) if and when the need arises.

“The visit of Brahimi demonstrates the concerns of the international community over the persisting deadlock between the constitutional forces in the country. It is high time that the democratic forces who believe in the constitution join hands to tackle the Maoist problem,” said a political observer. “This message has been further highlighted by the visit.”

Unfortunately, even after the visit of senior UN official, the situation in Nepal does not look likely to improve anytime soon. Just last week, the King expanded his cabinet introducing faces known for harboring undemocratic attitudes.

On the other hand, the political parties and the Maoists are making initial moves to hold dialogue. “While it would be great if the parties can convince the Maoists to cease violence before they hold dialogue with the Maoists, it should not be expected given the Maoist track record of taking advantage of contradictions among the constitutional forces,” said the analyst.