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Brief
departure of Maoists from cantonment sites sparks UN concern
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Kathmandu
14 September 2007 (UN News and UNMIN)
The
United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has voiced concern that large numbers
of Maoist soldiers today briefly left one of the cantonment sites where
they had agreed to stay as part of last year's peace accord ending the
conflict in the Himalayan country.
Maoist
army personnel were observed this morning outside the main cantonment site
in Nawalparasi and its satellite sites in the western region of Nepal,
UNMIN said in a press release, adding that it had deployed three mobile
teams to monitor the situation.
"This
is a serious violation of commitments made in the agreement of arms and
armed personnel reached between the Maoists and their partners in the Interim
Government," UNMIN stated.
The
mission said it had conveyed its concerns to the political and military
leadership of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which advised that
it had ordered the immediate return of personnel to the cantonment sites.
Under
last year's agreement ending the civil war, the Maoists agreed that their
combatants would be confined at the cantonment sites, where they and their
weapons can be registered and verified, in the lead-up to Constituent Assembly
elections scheduled for November.
UNMIN
said in its press release that "while the verification process of Maoist
army personnel is proceeding well, implementing the commitments in relation
to the management of arms and armed personnel, without exception, is essential
to the overall peace process and in particular to preparing a free and
fair atmosphere for the Constituent Assembly election."
UNMIN
Press Release
14
September 2007
UNMIN
has this morning monitored the movement of large numbers of Maoist army
personnel
outside the main cantonment site in Nawalparasi and its satellite sites,
in the
western
region. This is a serious violation of commitments made in the agreement
on the
management
of arms and armed personnel reached between the Maoists and their partners
in
the
Interim Government.
UNMIN
deployed three mobile teams to monitor this movement of Maoist army personnel.
UNMIN
has communicated its concerns direct to the political and military leadership
of the
CPN
(Maoist), who advised that it ordered the immediate return of personnel
to the
cantonment.
While
the verification process of Maoist army personnel is proceeding well, implementing
the
commitments in relation to the management of arms and armed personnel,
without
exception,
is essential to the overall peace process and in particular to preparing
a free and
fair
atmosphere for the Constituent Assembly election.
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Location:
Chitwan, Nepal
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Source:
UNMIN 2007, United Nations News Service
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