Kathmandu (AsiaNews) A "sincere stride towards institutionalizing a democratic and peaceful regime". This was how the Nepalese described their government's formal request to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, to manage the arms and troops of the regular army and the Maoist rebels for the duration of Constituent Assembly debates.
Fr Akijiro Ooki, a Jesuit priest who was worked with mentally disabled children in the country for years, said the UN commitment "will lead to the end of the crisis which has come about, restore mutual trust and pave the way for national integration that will also serve the most vulnerable people who are many in this poor country."
He told AsiaNews: "I pray daily that this commitment may transform foes into friends: Both the rebels and soldiers are children of Himalayan soil. If they manage to trust each other again, peace is bound to blossom."
"Above all," added the Jesuit, "the United Nations was born to mitigate the horrors of the Second World War and thank God it accomplished its mission. So I sincerely believe it can also sow seeds of understanding among this population, which has witnessed bloodshed for too long."
Pragayashil, a Buddhist monk, shares the same view. He told AsiaNews: "The UN has a global reputation for its neutrality and for maintaining peace. The government has taken the right step to invite it to monitor our situation." He added: "I am especially happy because the cult of violence that has gripped the land of Buddha for the past 10 years is about to disappear."
Ram Ekbal Choudhary, a human rights activist, said "the Nepalese people have peace in their genes. The ten-year spell of violence that swallowed up over 13,000 lives is seen by most of us as an aberration."
The UN request, signed by the premier, Girja Prasad Koirala, underlines the importance of the peace agreement signed on 16 June between the government and Prachanda, the rebel supreme leader. One of the eight points of the accord is a request for support from the United Nations, apart from the consensus of both sides to lay down their arms without dismantling their fighting ranks, of which the blue helmets will take over command.
