Questions and Answers
Shirish Pradhan (Press Trust of India): I just wanted to draw your attention to a news report in today's Kantipur daily that there are plenty of paramilitary organisations, or YCL of the Maoists, are actively operating within the valley, creating serious threat to the security. What is your opinion?
RSG: Thank you. I have not seen that report from today. The Secretary-General's report has called attention to the existence of continued security and other threats to the peace process. The question of the activities of the YCL is particularly important to the future of those disqualified as minors. The monitoring that will take place, the spot-checking that will take place, is looking at, for example, that they should not be re-recruited into the Maoist army and that they should not join related groups that advocate or practice violence.
Mahesh Acharya (Kantipur Radio): Security Council approved the request of the Government of Nepal and extended the mandate of UNMIN by four months. Basically, there were practices of extending the mandate one year or six months. Does UNMIN have reservation in the latest decision of Security Council or request of the Government of Nepal to extend UNMIN's mandate by four months only?
RSG: As you know, UNMIN has been encouraging all the parties to create the conditions that bring the need for our presence to a close, and I understand the Government has used the deadline for the drafting of the constitution, for promulgation of the constitution, as a kind of natural deadline before which they wish to see the integration and rehabilitation activities completed. We are here at the invitation of the Government and parties, and they have set themselves this task of completing the integration and rehabilitation by the 15th of May. We are asked to report back to the Security Council by the 1st of May and the fact is this a very tight deadline. The parties will have to begin implementation quite rapidly to be able to meet the challenging task. We have seen in the discharge of the disqualified, for example, that implementation was able to begin very quickly once political agreement was reached. We certainly hope the parties will be able to meet their commitment to undertake this really very large task in the next four months.
Cross-question by reporter: So, no dissatisfaction?
RSG: We are absolutely committed to help the parties meet the deadlines and any action plan they have agreed on.