The request is deliberately silent about monitoring of the Nepal Army by UNMIN, leaving room for many to interpret that the national army has been removed from UNMIN´s purview. [break]
"The government has requested the UN Security Council to renew the UNMIN´s term with a mandate to focus only on monitoring and management of the Maoist combatants, cantonments and arms under the new term," said Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Rakam Chemjong.
When asked to interpret the mandate more specifically, Chemjong said, "You should understand the meaning when we ask UNMIN to focus only on monitoring and management of the Maoist cantonments and arms".
"We have omitted the Nepal Army in the definition of two armies in the request letter," Chemjong further elaborated.
Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, whom the prime minister had consulted before sending the request, interpreted the new mandate as: "UNMIN should not be concerned about the Nepal Army."
The government sent the request for the renewal of the term of the extension of the UNMIN´s as the current term is expiring September 15*.
A source close to the prime minister told myrepublica.com said that the government preferred not to be explicit in the request in regard to monitoring of the national army by the UNMIN.
"As Maoists have expressed their willingness to be flexible to understand the problem faced by the national army for being under UNMIN´s monitoring, the government decided to send such a request," the source said.
kiran@myrepublica.com
* date corrected.
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