The meeting ended inconclusively after the Maoist refused to give in to the demand of opposition parties, mainly the UML, to categorically mention allocation of ranks in line with the seven-point agreement reached on November 1 last year. However, the Maoist side had proposed keeping silent on the issue of rank allocation for now.[break]
The next meeting of the Special Committee is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
The parties were also at odds over the Maoist proposal the academic qualification obtained by Maoist combatnats after UN verification should be taken into account while integration.
During a meeting earlier in the day, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had assured that the education level they currently have—not the one they had at the time of joining the PLA—would be taken into account during integration.
As the parties differed greatly on allocation of rank to the Maoist combatants, the period of training and composition of the Selection Committee that would select and train the former combatants for the non-combat Nepal Army (NA) directorate during Sunday’s Special Committee meeting. Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, who heads the Special Committee, had invited senior leaders of the three main parties to settle the differences.
Maoist Chairman Dahal, CPN UML senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and NC General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula had reached the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar to hold discussion with Prime Minister Bhattarai and Special Committee membes and forge an understanding on the contentious issues in integration.
Special Committee member from the UML Bhim Rawl told media persons that the meeting failed to make any headway as the Maoists showed unwillingness to write in the agreement reached during an informal meeting of the parties’ senior leaders.
Maoist member in the Special Committee Barsha Man Pun told media after the meeting that the integration action plan was endorsed in principle by the meeting of the leaders of three major parties. he claimed that there had been an understanding to limit training for officers integrating into the NA to seven months and for other combatants to five months.
According to NC General Secretary Sitaula, the parties agreed to give the responsibility of allocating ranks to the Maoist combatants to the NA itself. The NA will determine the ranks based on the number of years individual Maoist combatants have served in the Maoist army and other necessary qualification except for the concessions given to them on age, academic qualification and marital status.
Among other things, the parties had also reached an understanding to vacate the cantonments and bring all the weapons of the Maoist combatants under government control by April 12. With regard to the composition of the Selection Committee, there was an understanding to settle the issue in due course.
Maoists have been demanding their representation in the panel that would be formed to select and train combatants for the non-combat NA directorate. However, opposition parties have been rejecting the Maoist demand saying that it goes against the legal provisions set out in the Military Act.
On Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai had held a meeting with Attorney General Mukti Pradhan, NA Major General B A Kumar Sharma and Law Ministry Secretary Bhesh Raj Sharma to seek their opinions on the legal aspects on the issue. Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire was also present in the meeting held in the afternoon.
Sources said the parties had arrived at consensus on six of the eight points proposed in the Army Integration Action Plan during the meeting on Sunday. Senior leaders of the Maoists, NC and UML were invited to settle the differences before the Special Committee meeting.
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