Govt forms five-member army integration committee

The government formed a five-member army integration special committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam on Tuesday.
A meeting of the 'united political appointment committee' held in Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar formed the special committee, government spokesperson and communication minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara said.
Members of the committee include defence minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum leader Mohammad Habiullah and peace and reconstruction minister Janardan Sharma (ex-officio member) while the remaining one member will be inducted from the Nepali Congress.
The special committee, which will oversee the "management, integration and rehabilitation" of the Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA), has been formed after prolonged dispute among the parties including the ruling allies.
The process to form the panel had hit a snag with Nepali Congress and ruling partners like CPN (UML) and MJF opposing the Maoists' claim over its leadership.
At a meeting of the four major parties few days earlier, Maoist leaders agreed to give up their claim but insisted that they should have two members in the special committee, a demand the NC flatly rejected.

UNSG says UNMIN may not be able to complete its task by January

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has said the "understandable delays" in forming the government make it impossible for him to report the hoped-for progress to the UN Security Council by the end of the current mandate of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). UNMIN's term expires in January next year.
In the latest report on Nepal made public Tuesday, Ban, also said the world has recognised the strides towards peace Nepalis have made.
"In common with other members of the international community, I have repeatedly stressed the importance of sustaining the cooperation among political parties on which the peace process was founded and which has brought it so far," the report says.
Ban also welcomed the pledge of Nepali Congress to help draft the new constitution and conclude the peace process and praised the commitments made by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to multi-party democracy and human rights.
"The establishment of the special committee to oversee the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist army personnel is crucial in this respect," adding, "However, until the special committee begins its work, it is impossible to predict how soon it will be able to take key decisions and how long will be needed for their implementation," and that the process will have substantial disagreements to be overcome.
The Secretary-General called on the Nepal government to "move as rapidly as possible to create conditions conducive to the completion of UNMIN activities". The mission has already significantly downsized its staffing level, but he expressed regret that the status-of-mission agreement still has yet to be signed by officials.
"While the main emphasis now should be on peacebuilding through economic and social development, and on the drafting of the new Constitution, experience in various countries has demonstrated the dangers of failing to address successfully the issue of former combatants and the risks that this can pose to durable stability," the report said.
Ban is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu Thursday on a two-day visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Dahal. He will also visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, during his stay here.