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Pact signed on arms in Nepal

Ameet Dhakal

Historic agreement for management of weapons, say Government and Maoists

PHOTO: AP

IN U.N. ARMS: Nepalese Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula (left) hands over the letter of agreement between the Government and the Maoist rebels to U.N. representative in Nepal Abraham Abraham (right), in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

KATHMANDU: The Government and the Maoist rebels sent on Wednesday invitation letters to the United Nations to "assist in the management of arms and armed personnel of both sides."

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist Chiarman Prachanda have undersigned the letters with same text after a meeting in the afternoon. Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Maoist chief negotiator Krishna Bahadur Mahara announced the invitation at a press conference here. The invitations were handed over to Abraham Abraham, UNDP's senior representative here.

The rebels have won major concession as the letter asks the U.N. to "deploy qualified civilian personnel to monitor and verify the confinement of CPN-M combatants and their weapons within designated cantonment areas." Similarly, the letter has asked the world forum to "monitor the Nepal Army to ensure that it remains in its barracks and its weapons are not used for or against any side." Mr. Sitaula and Mr. Mahara said it was a historic agreement towards management of arms to hold a Constituent Assembly in an environment free from fear.

The two sides have also reiterated their earlier invitation to the U.N. to monitor human rights violations and compliance to the code of conduct signed by them. They have also asked the U.N. to provide observers for the Constituent Assembly elections.

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