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Arms mgmt process to begin from Jan 15: Martin

Friday - 05th January 2007

KATHMANDU, Jan 5 - Head of the UN team to assist in Nepal peace process, Ian Martin said on Friday that the process to keep the Maoists' arms in the containers will begin from January 15.

Addressing the media before leaving for New York this morning in Kathmandu, Martin said that the arms monitoring operation will begin from Jan 15 from two offices – Kathmandu and Nepalgunj.

Martin said, "We now have thirteen UN arms monitors in the country. The training of this first group ends tomorrow, and from Monday they will operate in two teams, one from Kathmandu and the other from Nepalgunj."

13 UN monitors -- of the 35 already authorized – have already arrived in the capital.

"We expect further arrivals every few days, and the balance of the 35 already authorized will undertake training later next week, and be available for deployment from 15 January," said Martin.

Martin also informed that registration teams provided by UNDP will also be ready by Jan 15 to begin registration process. However, to start the process of registration, Martin pointed out at the need of deliberations between the government and the Maoists.

Martin said, "Recruitment and selection of the 111 members of the Interim Task Force (ITF) has been done by consensus among the Nepal Army and PLA members of the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC), in the presence of military advisers from my Office. It will be completed today, and my Military Adviser will be advising the Commander of the ITF on the planning, organization, training and equipment of the ITF."

Martin, also the personal representative of the UN Secretary General in Nepal, will present a report prepared by the UN on Nepal peace process to Ban Ki-moon, the new UN Secretary General.

Moon is scheduled to submit a proposal about Nepal in the UN Security Council on Sunday (Jan 11) and after the approval of the proposal by the SC meeting, the UN will begin the process for budget allocation.

Expressing his confidence that the support given by former Secretary General Kofi Annan to the Nepal peace process will be continued by the new Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Martin informed that Fida Nasrullah, a Lebanese citizen, has been appointed as UN Chief Electoral Adviser, to help in the Constituent Assembly elections

According to Martin, it will take two more months to bring together a 60-member full-fledged UN team to Nepal.


Source ekantipur