Resident coordinator of the UN system in Nepal Matthew Kahane (File Photo)

Resident coordinator of the UN system in Nepal Matthew Kahane (File Photo)

At a time when the government and Maoists are working to invite the United Nations (UN) in the peace process, UN residential representative to Nepal Mathew Kahane has said that the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Maoist is too general and pointed out the need of specific details for monitoring the arms by the UN.

Speaking at an interaction in the capital on Tuesday, Kahane said that though the UN was willing to assist in Nepal’s peace process, the UN is yet to receive a formal letter from the government with an endorsement by the Maoists for UN’s involvement in the peace process.

He said that the UN can help Nepal’s peace process in all the areas once the government sends an official request to UN and if the Maoists accept it.

Kahane however revealed that UN had been talking to the Maoist leadership as well as government officials regarding the UN’s role.

“First we will advise on how to write a ceasefire agreement,” said Kahane, adding, “The technicalities of the peace process should be agreed upon first.” Kahane said the present ceasefire code doesn’t talk about the number of armies, who is commanding the armies and where they have been kept.

On the role of UN in the Nepal’s peace process, he said that a ceasefire agreement would detail the numbers of guns, tagging the guns with numbers and keeping them inside the armory with three keys, two would be entrusted with the two conflicting parties and one with the UN.

Citing the willingness expressed by Kofi Annan to help Nepal’s peace process and recalling senior UN official Samuel Tamrat’s repeated visit to Nepal, he said, “The UN is ready to assist Nepal in monitoring the ceasefire as well as in arms management and demobilization, based on its experience in other countries.”

Kahane also said that difficulties lie ahead as modalities and technicalities of the constituent assembly are yet to be agreed upon.

He said that monitoring of arms is different from disarmament, which he said, can be done in second phase.