Controversial UNMIN mandate ends Friday night

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 23 Jan: The controversial mandate of UNMIN ends midnight Friday [18.15 GMT] with the UN security council yet to decide on extending it for the third time for another six months.
Nepal’s Maoist-led government has already asked the UN to extend it for that period and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made a similar suggestion the council while downgrading and downsizing the mission.
The council is expected to support Ban’s request within hours though.
Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Ban, is leaving in disgrace amid charges by main opposition Nepali Congress leaders he is a Maoist and was impartial in executing the peace process that has brought Maoists to power through elections.
Martin is being replaced by only a representative.
UNMIN oversaw the election but has yet to finalize the disarming, demobilizing of nearly 19,000 Maoist combatants in 29 cantonments and satellite camps for nearly three years.
Former US Ambassador to Nepal James F. Moriarty said only ‘crummy’ weapons were in the camps while armed Maoists were moving around freely in the country.
Nearly one dozen socket bombs were recovered from a homes seized by Maoists from a judge in mid-West confirming all Maoist weapons aren’t inside the UNMIN-administered camps.
All major parties in and out of government are opposing full integration of Maoist combatants in Nepal Army which are has opposed UMNIN’s opposition to its regular annual programme to fill in 2,8000 vacancies.
Martin came to Nepal to establish the office of the UN High Commission for Human Rights and was later promoted as a special representative.
To bring UN in Nepal, western countries disgraced Nepal’s own National Human Rights Commission which they first pushed.
He entered UN laterally and was a human rights activist as chief of London-based Amnesty International without any experience in administration.
He was appointed to Nepal after a failed UN mission in tiny East Timor.
Martin took on the challenge to tackle Nepal’s huge political problems without any other experience.
Nepal’s peace process now is in deep crisis with direct conflict between major parties and elected Maoists threatening to impose a Stalinist state in Nepal land-locked between Asian giants India and China.
The so-called international community—an euphemism for the western community and the UN-- and India helped bring Maoists to power through election and international maneuvering.
Nepali people are now facing economic hardships and uncertainty as doubts are being expressed whether a constitution to govern Nepal will be drafted in the next 15 months.
Maoists said they will push their communist agenda while drafting the constitution amid opposition of Nepali Congress—the second largest political party.
Maoists are in government and communists have a majority in parliament which will draft the constitution without direct participation on people through a referendum.
Nepal is in deep crisis amid fears
and threats of a Maoist takeover of the strategic nation.
Nepal is a classic example to the world of how not to conduct and push the peace process to resolve an internal civil war by negotiating a vague peace accord with international support and intervention.
Just how vague the peace agreement has even been admitted by the UN which said only processes and not issues were addressed.
UN is spending lavishly for the personal comforts lawmakers by providing them vehicles and other facilities like foreign travel to countries in Europe and South Africa on ‘education trips’ to draft a constitution.
These legislators have little or no background in taking on such a huge and challenging task.
Western donors were funding a disreputable effort to broadcast live CA sessions to an office of a NGO funded by them.
The insulting move by stopped CA Chairman Subash Nemwang at the last moment.
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Madhav Kumar Nepal hails facilities for Girija

Kathmandu, 23 Jan: Madhav Kumar Nepal Friday hailed government facilities for main opposition leader Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala.
The Maoist-led government Thursday decided to give facilities for Koirala’s personal conform.
Nepal said Koirala had made special contribution to the peace process.
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Prachanda proposes Girija to become prime minister

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 23 Jan: In an effort to placate NC President Girija Prasad Koirala, PM Prachanda has asked Girija Prasad Koirala to become president, Nepalpatra reports.
The proposal was made during a meeting Saturday according to Nepali Congress party sources.
The source didn’t disclose Koirala’s reaction.
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Unified CPN (Maoist) to discuss Madesh

Kathmandu, 23 Jan: Unified CPN(Maoist) central secretariat meeting Friday decided to start broad discussions on find out and how to ‘scientifically’ address Madesh demands, CP Gajurel said at the end of the meeting.
Madeshi lawmakers and central committee members will be involved in discussions.
The decision as top Maoist Madesh leader Matrika Prasad Yadav said he’ll leave the party to launch a regional party.
The meeting discussed directives of the central committee.
The meeting decided to conduct political camps is districts to make integration between CPN (Maoist) and CPN (Unity Center/Mashal) effective.
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EBL records record profit

Kathmandu, 23 Jan: Everest Bank Ltd (EBL) recorded a record Rs 503.6 million net profit in Q2 ending 13 January 2009—a 46 percent growth compared to the same period the pervious year.
Deposits reached Rs 27,770 million.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“To leave government is to discourage change.”

(Jhalanatah Khanal, Naya Patrika, 23 Janauary)
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