Statement delivered by Mr. Vice Skracic, Minister Counsellor of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations, on the situation in Nepal.
May I begin by thanking Mr. Ian Martin for his briefing and to express my Delegation's appreciation and congratulations for his successful leadership of UNMIN over what has proved to be a pivotal, genuinely transformative period for Nepal.
In many ways Nepal has emerged as a new society. The Nepalese people and their political representatives, who demonstrated an admirable ability for cooperation and consensus, deserve our congratulations for the successful holding of elections in April and the subsequent forming of the Constituent Assembly, leading to the peaceful establishment of the Republic.
However, the process which begun in 2006 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is not over yet. The elections were a crucial stage in the peace process; a milestone rather than a destination, and the peace process is still evolving. In this context we salute the 23 June Agreement between the political parties to amend the Constitution and take forward the peace process.
It is now crucial that all parties in Nepal sustain their commitment for an inclusive and constructive political process during this transitional period. The participation of minorities and civil society is no less important. It is my delegation's hope to see the swift formation of a new democratically elected Government, which will focus without delay on the outstanding commitments arising out of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, but also on other immediate challenges which have a direct impact on the well-being of the Nepalese population, such as food shortages and the rise in fuel prices.
Through UNMIN's mandate the UN has given an important contribution to this historic process of Nepal's return to peace, stability and democracy. The outcome represents a major success both for Nepal, the UN and the Security Council. We agree that now is the time to adapt the UN presence to the new reality and take note of the request by the interim Government of Nepal, contained in its letters of 8 July, for a six-month continuation of UNMIN at a smaller scale to engage itself in the remainder of the mandate.
While the management of arms and armed personnel remains the focus of the UNMIN's mandate, we would like to reiterate the Secretary-General's emphasis on the need to achieve a transition to a durable and permanent solution. While the national ownership of this process is not in question, we concur with the Secretary-General's assessment that at this point monitoring of arms and armed personnel should continue to be provided within the framework of a special political mission which can continue to offer the necessary support for the completion of the peace process.
As we are focusing on UNMIN's exit strategy, we are mindful that the report has rightly identified remaining challenges of the post-election period that require sustained effort and attention, such as the discharge of minors; the integration of Maoist combatants; the democratization of the army; and the disbanding of the Maoist youth wing. While we believe that it is up to the new Government to address these issues as a matter of priority, my Delegation believes that we should avoid the impression that UNMIN's disengagement somehow implies that these aspects of the peace process are no longer relevant and can be disregarded.
In conclusion, Mr. President, we believe that the Nepalese people deserve our continued support in consolidating peace, democracy and development, and the UN country team is well placed to play a central role.
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