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Nepal invites U.N. to monitor Maoist arms, army http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=DEL93366
Tue 4 Jul 2006
By Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU, July 4 (Reuters)- Nepal has invited the United Nations to monitor weapons held by Maoists rebels and government troops ahead of elections for an assembly that aims to map the nation's political future, an aide to the prime minister said on Tuesday.
A letter from Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to Secretary-General Kofi Annan seeking U.N. help was handed over at the world body's office in Kathmandu on Monday, Suresh Chalise said.
Monitoring arms is seen as crucial to a free and fair vote as the guerrillas control large swathes of the Himalayan nation and are known to enforce their writ through threats.
"We have requested the United Nations to assist the government of Nepal in the peace process," Chalise told Reuters without elaborating.
Koirala, appointed after King Gyanendra gave in to pro-democracy protests in April, and Maoist chief Prachanda last month agreed to include the rebels in an interim government to oversee elections for a special assembly to prepare a new constitution and decide the future of monarchy.
The interim government and the Maoists also agreed to seek U.N. help to monitor and manage their armies and arms ahead of the vote. No date has been set for the polls yet.
The vote and the new constitution are seen as a first step towards ending a decade-old Maoist insurgency, that has killed more than 13,000 people since 1996.
Maoist leaders have blown hot and cold over inviting an international agency to monitor arms.
While the rebels initially resisted the move, rebel chief Prachanda in an interview to Reuters last month said both forces should be confined to their respective barracks or camps and be under international supervision.
However, last week he said there was no need for foreign involvement.
There was no immediate reaction from the rebels to the government decision.
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