United Nations Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, B Lynn Pascoe, arrived on Wednesday to observe the ongoing peace process and to encourage its progress.
Pascoe met Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal at his office this morning and discussed issues concerning the peace process, PLA integration and rehabilitation.
PM Nepal briefed him on the progress made in the peace process and the integration of the PLA. He informed Pascoe that the Special Committee would soon begin the integration process and assured him that the process would be completed before UNMIN's mandate expires.
Nepal said PLA integration will be carried out by the political parties, and sought help in rehabilitating the combatants. The issue of PLA integration and rehabilitation is at the heart of the peace process, and is also linked to government formation and constitution writing.
In September, the government and the Maoists agreed to complete the PLA integration and rehabilitation process within the next four months. Then they jointly requested the UN Security Council for a four-month extension of the UNMIN mandate.
While endorsing the extension of UNMIN's term for the last time on 15 September, the United Nations Security Council had asked the UN Secretary General to come up with a report on the implementation of recent pacts between the caretaker government and the parties by 15 October.
Pascoe is here to prepare a report on the implementation of the recent agreement between the parties and the government that settled the row over the extension of UNMIN’s term.
Pascoe is scheduled to meet high-level government officials, political leaders, representatives of civil society, the international community, UNMIN and UN officials,and members of the Special Committee on Integration, Rehabilitation and Management of the Maoist combatants.
Pascoe’s visit will focus on how to conclude the process within UNMIN's extended term, and on how UNMIN can make a graceful exit from Nepal in January 2011.