Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, has written to the Minister of Defence, reiterating UNMIN's view that any new recruitment by the Nepal Army or the Maoist army would be a breach of the Ceasefire Code of Conduct, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Agreement on Monitoring the Management of Arms and Armies.
UNMIN had expressed this view to the previous Government in the context of earlier reports of new recruitment by the Nepal Army in 2007, and had also drawn the attention of the Minister of Defence in the current Government to its position. The previous Government had maintained that the Nepal Army could fill vacancies up to its standing strength at the time of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.