SPECIAL COMMITTEE FOR INTEGRATION MEETS TO IMPLEMENT ACCORD

SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO MEET FOR FIRST TIME TO IMPLEMENT ACCORD

Kathmandu, 2 Nov.: The first meeting of a special committee for integration, resettlement and supervision for 19,000 plus former Maoist combatants headed ex-officio by the prime minister is being held Wednesday afternoon.
The committee will discuss the implementation of Tuesday’s accord to conclude the delayed peace process.
A faction of UCPN (Maoist) headed by First Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya is giving reasons for its opposition to Tuesday night’s agreement at a news conference later Wednesday.
Baidya faction demands integration of 8,000 to 10,000 former fighters.
said the agreement is against party.
Vice-chairman Dr.Prakash Lohani of Rashtriya Janashakti Party (RJP) welcomed the accord and said, ”There’s place for hope now.”
Other small parties also welcomed the accord and called for its honest implementation and hoped the breakthrough will help proclaim a constitution.
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IMPLEMENTING ACCORD A HUGE CHALLENGE
Kathmandu, 2 Nov.: Top leaders of major political parties Tuesday expressed their happiness over the 7-point deal they signed late evening achieving a milestone in the peace process, Ram Prasad Dahal writes in The Rising Nepal..
UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said that the agreement ended a chapter of the peace and constitution processes.
He recalled that he and late Girija Prasad Koirala had signed the agreement in the same hall in June 2006.
"The accord reflects the duty to fulfill the responsibility towards the nation and the people," he said while expressing his commitment to implement the deal at all costs.
Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala termed the agreement as a historic decision of the parties.
"We all have realised our national duty," he said. "This unity should now be taken towards building the nation and making it prosper."
NC became flexible

in line with the national reconciliation policy of late BP Koirala and the peace campaign of late GP Koirala, he said.
He expressed his hope that the peace process would conclude and law and order would prevail.
Chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal said that the agreement was made as per the people’s aspirations for peace and constitution. "The accord reflects the people’s wishes," he said.
Chairman of United Democratic Madhesi Front Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar said the agreement raised hopes of the people for sustainable peace and democratic constitution.
Terming the accord as an important achievement, he said the government was fully committed to implementing it.
NC general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula said the 12-point agreement was signed with the guts of Prachanda and late GP Koirala.
"This accord happened because of the guts of Prachanda," Sitaula said, thanking him for the achievement.
He, however, said that implementing the agreement was fraught with challenges as several of its points had a deadline of November 23 to meet.
Sitaula informed that the AISC would meet Wednesday afternoon.
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FURTHER DETAILS OF TUESDAY’S ACCORD
Kathmandu, 2 Nov.: Major political parties Tuesday agreed on the modalities for management of the Maoist combatants securing a breakthrough in the long-stalled peace process, The Rising Nepal reports.
Top leaders of three parties, UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, met in a hotel in the afternoon before formally sealing a 7-point deal at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar.
According to the deal, 6,500 Maoist combatants would be integrated in Nepal Army based on their individual criteria, UML leader Bhim Rawal said while reading out the agreement paper after the leaders put their signatures on the historic document.
The combatants would be integrated into a separate directorate of Nepal Army. The directorate, consisting of 65 per cent personnel from Nepal Army and 35 per cent from the combatants, would carry out development and disaster management works, and protect forests and industries.
Combatants going for rehabilitation or retirement would be provided with a compensation amount between Rs. 600 to 900 thousands each depending on their ranks in the updated records.
The rank of those going for integration in the army would be determined in line with the verification carried out by United Nations Mission in Nepal, UNMIN. The records of the combatants in cantonments would be updated and flexibility would be adopted in criteria regarding education, marital status and age. At the time of recruitment, combatants would be accepted for an additional age of three years, and education below one level for the post considered.
Technical work on group division would begin in a week and complete by November 23 at the initiative of the Army Integration Special Committee.
The integrated combatants would be allowed to take the responsibility after completing a bridge and training course.
All weapons of the combatants would be come under state control after the beginning of the integration process.
The leaders also agreed that the seized property would be returned to their rightful owners by November 23 and the concerned land owners would be given compensation for the period.
The Commission on Truth and Reconciliation and the Commission on Enforced Disappearances would be constituted within a month.
The cases of the conflict period would be handled as per the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Interim Constitution 2007.

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Relief packages for the conflict victims would be provided without any discrimination.
The leaders also agreed that the tenure of the Constituent Assembly would be extended by six months from the current deadline of November 30.
The semi-military structure of the Young Communist League would be dismantled and all private and public lands and buildings occupied by them would vacated and handed over to the owners by November 23.
The vehicles registered differently at the Department of Transport Management would be regularised and the vehicles of the cantonments would come under the government control.
The top leaders also agreed to form a high level political mechanism to logically conclude the tasks of peace and constitution.
An expert team would be constituted to solicit views on state restructuring and the work on the first draft of the constitution would be initiated within a month.
The process of forming a national consensus government would be started alongside the constitution making.
They signed a memorandum of understanding and made its content public at a press conference late in the evening.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar signed the agreement on behalf of the United Madhesi Democratic Front of the Terai based parties.
Leaders of the dissenting Maoist faction Mohan Baidhya Kiran and Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal were also present in the meeting. They were demanding the integration of the Maoist combatants in a separate directorate within Nepal Army as armed soldiers reaching up to the leadership rank. They also demanded the militia be integrated in an institutional manner.
After the meeting, Baidhya said that the agreement was against the party decision. "It is against the people and the country," he said.
Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar said that the deal initiated a new era.
When asked whether the agreement would be implemented considering the its opposition from a faction of the Maoists, Nepal said that they would not create hurdles in implementing it.
The agreement was inked by UCPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda, NC president Sushil Koirala, UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal and Front leader Gachchhadar.
After the agreement, the leaders present in the meeting raised their hands in happiness. Senior leaders of all major parties including Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai were present in the signing ceremony.
In the afternoon, top leaders of the major parties reached an informal agreement awaiting the final seal at their summit in Baluwatar.
The joint meeting of the top leaders and the task force members from the big three thrashed out the issues on the management of Maoists combatants and constitution drafting.
After the meeting, Finance Minister and UCPN-Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun said that the parties were near a consensus and the disputed issues would be settled Thursday evening at the top leader’s meeting.
Nepali Congress general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula said that the meeting was close to an accord on combatants’ integration and rehabilitation packages.
CPN-UML leader Bhim Rawel said that the meeting ended positively. He expressed hope that the Baluwatar meeting would secure the deal by settling any remaining differences.
UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, NC president Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, NC general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula, UCPN-M leader Barsha Man Pun, and UML leader Bhim Rawal were in the afternoon meeting.
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AGREEMENT SIGNED TUESDAY WAS READY 13 OCT.

Kathmandu, 2 Nov.: The seven-point peace agreement signed this evening [Tuesday] is a culmination of a series of back-door negotiations that had produced the first comprehensive draft some three weeks ago, Ameet Dhakal/Post B. Basnet write in Republica. .

On October 13, Nepali Congress General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula had handed over the first draft to Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal with consent of the key NC and UML leaders.

The draft had all the major points included (some of which were amended in the course of negotiations) in the final agreement signed this evening except the preamble.

During the last two-and-half weeks since the first draft was prepared, there were several rounds of negotiations mainly between the Nepali Congress and UCPN (Maoist). The main bone of contention continues to persist on four major issues: standard norms, mandate of the to-be formed directorate under the Nepal Army (NA), number of combatants to be integrated in the NA and rehabilitation package to be given to the combatants.

The NC and UML were for integrating 5,000 combatants and providing Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000 combatants, while the Maoists insisted on integrating 7,000 combatants and distributing Rs 700,000 to Rs one million each as rehabilitation package.

But more than these differences, it´s the deepening intra-party rift in the UCPN (Maoist) between the establishment faction and Baidya group that made the deal elusive. Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal wanted to bring the Baidya faction on board the deal and made painful efforts toward that end. At times Dahal even seemed in two minds about signing the deal.

On the eve of the three-party meeting in Baluwatar on October 19, a day before Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai embarked on his India visit, the NC, UML and UCPN (Maoist) negotiators further narrowed down their differences on the draft, raising hopes that the deal could be clinched the next day. Prime Minister Bhattarai was keen on signing the deal on that very day but Dahal wanted some more time to persuade Baidya faction. At the end, Dahal coaxed the NC leaders in giving him some more time. But his attempt to persuade the Baidya faction continues to go in vain.

The informal negotiations picked momentum after Prime Minister Bhattarai returned from India and the leaders of the top three parties agreed to meet at Park Village Resort in Budhanilkantha on October 31. Many senior leaders had told the media that the deal would be signed at the meeting.

There was hardly any negotiation at Park Village Resort meeting on Monday as Maoist Chairman Dahal, at the outset, said that he would prepare a draft of the agreement in consultation with NC President Sushil Koirala and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and present on Tuesday´s meeting.

In the meantime, Dahal gave NC General Secretary Sitaula his amendment proposal in the draft agreement. He wanted changes in the wordings of the agreement on standard norms for integration, mandate of the proposed NA directorate and integration number. Instead of 5,000-7,000 combatants to be integrated in the NA directorate as mentioned in the original draft, Dahal proposed that it should be written as up to 7,000.

Similarly, on standard norms he wanted to write, "standard norms of the security forces and integration" and on the mandate of the directorate Dahal had proposed that "the mandate of the directorate will be to carry out development works, forest security, industrial security, calamity management and as decided by the government."

NC had major objections to the change in the wordings of the standard norms and mandate of the directorate (mainly that the government can decide the mandate of the directorate in the future) and sent its General Secretary Sitaula to Dahal´s residence to convey its message. At the meeting, Sitaula told Dahal that NC would not agree to any change of wording on standard norms and directorate´s mandate.

The deal was finally sealed at a meeting held at Radisson Hotel this afternoon attended by Dahal, Koirala and Khanal. Three members of the taskforce Sitaula, Maoist leader Barshaman Pun and UML leader Bhim Rawal were also present at the meeting.

At the meeting, Dahal gave in to NC´s demand on integration norms and the mandate of the NA´s directorate while NC and UML gave concessions on the integration number and rehabilitation package. The rehabilitation package was raised from Rs 400,000 to 600,000 to Rs 500,000 to 800,000 (in cash) and Rs 600,000 to 900,000 (for training and support) to be given in two tranches within two fiscal years and the integration number was fixed at up to 6,500.
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NEPAL ASKED TO MEET AML COMMITMENTS BY FEB. 2012

Kathmandu, 2 Nov.: The global anti-money laundering (AML) agency has asked Nepal to immediately put in place a mechanism to criminalize and ensure action against those involved in money laundering and terrorism financing, warning that it will tag Nepal as ´high-risk´ country if it failed to do so by February 2012, Republica reports..

The warning came at a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), of which Nepal is a regional member, in Paris last week where it was reviewing the progress on fighting money laundering and terrorism financing.

During the meeting, Nepal informed the FATF about the ratification of UN Convention on Suppression of Terrorism Financing and UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and formation of separate department to oversee money-laundering, among others.

However, the Task Force asserted that mere ratification will not ensure effective implementation of those conventions and asked us to put in place a mechanism to implement them, said a Ministry of Finance (MoF) official, who attended the meeting.

“Besides, we were informed that our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet notified United Nations about the ratification of those two UN conventions,” he added.

FATF members also pointed out a number of laws and recommendations of Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering that Nepal has long committed to put in place, but has not done so far.

“Now, we will now need to formulate a law that categorically depicts UN-adopted procedures and actions for controlling financing of terrorism activities,” said Khum Raj Punjali, director general of Department of Money Laundering Investigation.

Likewise, Nepal will also need to amend laws on anti-corruption, incorporating provisions and spirit of global convention on anti-corruption that the country ratified earlier this year.

It will need to put in place law on controlling organized crime, mutual legal assistance, and extradition agreements with FATF members for effectively dealing against persons involved in money laundering and terrorism financing.

“The FATF has set a fresh timeline, seeking us to implement its recommendations by February 2012, when it is meeting again in Rome, Italy,” said a source. “If we failed to cite substantial progress on those recommendations then, FATF has warned it will tag us as high risk country,” he told Republica.

Nepal was notified as ´high risk´ country and ran the risk of being blacklisted by the global anti-money laundering body about nine months ago after the government dragged its feet on implementing commitments it made in the international forum.

However, it had managed to escape the risk and improved its ranking after Parliament on June 24 ratified UN Conventions to check terror financing and the flow of dirty money.

“Fulfilling fresh and long due commitments will test political leaders´ sensitivity again. We hope we will be able to make substantial progress this time round,” said the source.

In case a country is blacklisted, countries across the globe will not honor its letter of credit and business transactions. This will affect its international trade, movement of its citizens across the globe and foreign assistance as well.
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