 KIRAN PANDAY LEGWORK: Travellers have no choice but to walk through the Maoist blockade at Nagdhunga, Tuesday. |
Baluwatar's swift and sharp reaction to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's report to the Security Council took UN officials in New York by surprise. Although UNMIN clarified that the need for political consensus was something all political leaders in Nepal had themselves articulated, the speech became an opportunity for the ruling coalition to draw attention to UNMIN's perceived pro-Maoist bias.
Said a Baluwatar insider:
"Of course we say it all the time, but it is different when the UN Secretary-General comments on Nepal's internal politics. Whose side is UNMIN on?" What hasn't helped UNMIN are Pushpa Kamal Dahal's speeches claiming that the UN's report has vindicated his party's protests.
The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council, UNMIN chief Karin Langdren's briefings in New York, and the Security Council meeting last Friday betray the UN's anxiety about Nepal's peace process, with UNMIN's mandate due to expire in January.
Most observers agree that the UN needs a success story in its chequered history of international peacekeeping, and that UNMIN's mandate will probably be extended. But what will be keenly watched is how it corrects its perceived tilt towards the former rebels. And the elephant in the room that no one mentions is India, its role in the peace process and the desire of advisers in New Delhi to get UNMIN to pack up and go.
The row has distracted attention from the need to allow UNMIN to disarm the Maoists and dismantle cantonments, finish writing the constitution and allow parliament and the government to function. You can debate whether the UN Secretary-General was within his rights to call on the parties to work together, but few in Nepal will deny that he was right.
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Blame game - FROM ISSUE #476 (13 NOV 2009 - 19 NOV 2009)
