UN mission in Nepal extended by nearly four months (Lead, Changing dateline)

KATHMANDU - The United Missions Security Council extended the mandate of its mission in Nepal (UNMIN) by nearly four months to supervise the completion of the peace process in the Himalayan nation.

UNMIN set up offices in Nepal in January 2007 to monitor the peace process following a formal deal between the government and the Maoist rebels.

Council members unanimously agreed Thursday to extend the mission’s mandate to May 15, two weeks before a new Nepali constitution is due to come into force, according to a UN statement.

The council’s resolution also said the mission should continue working with the Nepalese government on arrangements for its withdrawal in the remaining period.

The extension came amid escalating political squabbling among the main parties which has threatened to derail the peace process.

In a report to the council released last week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced serious concern over Nepal’s political stalemate, and said the next few months would be crucial for the peace process.

Earlier this month, the Maoists started releasing thousands of child soldiers from their guerilla force, a key demand of the UN.

The next important step for UNMIN will be to disband the 27 Maoist camps housing nearly 20,000 former rebel fighters which it is monitoring. The former fighters are planned to be integrated into the security forces or rehabilitated into society.

In recent months, UNMIN has come under criticism from non-Maoist political parties in Nepal which have accused the UN body of not effectively monitoring the Maoist combatants.

The UN would consider the peace process complete once a new constitution is promulgated and the issue of former guerilla fighters is settled.

Nepal’s decade long communist insurgency left over 14,000 dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.