When will Nepal declared Republic? PM says king should abdicate!

A swift turn in the political development of Nepal has created a new dimension in the fate of the tiny Kingdom. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala says it would be good if King Gyanendra were to abdicate. He also says the unpopular crown prince should abandon his claim to the throne.

What are the political implications to these most outspoken remarks against the monarch made to date by Koirala who has always been shouldering a ceremonial monarchy? The King was forced to restore parliamentary democracy last April after weeks of street protests against his unconstitutional direct rule.

Although, few Nepalese politicians from the ruling alliance have expressed so much as a word of support for the monarchy, the veteran prime minister, Koirala, has been an exception. He was condemned for saying there should still be space for a ceremonial monarchy.
But he has now shifted his ground. It does not require much thinking and arguments on why Koirala has changed his previous stand on the Monarchy. It seems clearly in response to a controversial royal statement on Democracy day in which king Gyanendra justified his takeover of absolute power two years ago.
Mr Koirala has now said this statement had made Nepal more likely to become a republic.
However, it was not clear whether Mr Koirala was recommending the king hand power to his grandson. There has been a wild rumor for a while about the king vacating the throne for his grandson in Kathmandu. Some Pundits have urged to do so in order to have a peaceful transition in Nepal.
But he said the abdications would put an end to the current chorus of demands, notably from the Maoist former rebels, that a republic be declared immediately.
Under last November's peace accord the future of the monarchy is supposed to be decided by Constitutional Assembly elected later this year.
In the meantime, BBC reports, “A recent opinion poll suggested more than half of Nepalis still want a monarchy of some kind, but parties in the ruling coalition firmly support a republic".
Can Nepal be declared a republic even before CA election?

Can Carter Center ensure free and fair CA election in Nepal?

The US-based Carter Center has launched election observation mission in Nepal with prime objective to ensure free and fair Constituent Assembly Election without violence and fraud.

According to the news release by the Center in Kathmandu, the long-term observers come from eight countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States.

"The Carter Center welcomes this opportunity to support the Nepalese people in their transition to sustainable peace and multi-party democracy and encourages all parties to the process to participate actively and ultimately to respect the will of the people," said David Carroll, director of the Carter Center's Democracy Program.

The Atlanta based Carter Center representatives have met with political parties, election officials, civil society, domestic observer groups, and the international community, all of whom have encouraged an international observation presence by the Center in order to help build confidence in the electoral process.

"It is our hope that the political leadership of Nepal and all actors in the process will continue to seek open dialogue and compromise in the pursuit of a transparent, inclusive, and credible electoral process that best enables the people of Nepal to exercise their democratic rights," said Darren Nance, Carter Center Nepal field office director.

In spite of good will and support from many national and international forces there still remains unanswered questions. Can CA election be held in free and fair atmosphere without any violence and fraud?

Mortars hit airport as peacekeepers arrive in Somalia

The first peacekeepers to arrive in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu in more than 10 years were met with a surge of violence today, as mortars hit the airport during a welcoming ceremony and a deadly gunbattle broke out on the city’s crumbling streets.

The street battles involving masked gunmen killed three people and mortars wounded one, all of them civilians, witnesses and police said.

The violence is the latest example of the volatility peacekeepers face in a country that has seen little more than anarchy for years, and where the government backed by Ethiopian troops toppled an Islamic militia only months ago.

“I saw around 100 gunmen engaging in a fierce battle. They used heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades,” Hassan Abukar Sidow, a Mogadishu resident, said.

He said the fighting began after police went house-to-house looking for suspects in the attack on the airport.

The bloodshed came as about 400 Ugandan peacekeepers arrived in the capital to protect the Somali government and to allow for the withdrawal of troops from neighbouring Ethiopia, which helped the administration topple a radical Islamic militia that controlled much of southern Somalia for six months.

The Ugandan troops are the vanguard of a larger African Union force authorised by the United Nations to help the government assert its authority in one of the most violent and gun-infested cities in the world.

Peacekeepers have kept clear of Mogadishu for more than a decade, while much of the country was ruled by violence and clan law. The US sent troops in 1992 as part of a UN relief operation for tens of thousands of starving civilians, but in 1993 clan militiamen shot down two Black Hawk helicopters and killed 18 American soldiers.

US forces withdrew in 1994 and the UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia was eventually abandoned in 1995.

Uganda’s Deputy Defence Minister Ruth Nankabirwa said the peacekeepers understand the dangers of working in Somalia.

“We have not just dropped our troops there without knowing the situation,” Nankabirwa said in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. “We will be the first people to make sure that they are safe so they can carry on to other missions.”

Insurgents believed to be the remnants of Somalia’s Council of Islamic Courts have staged almost daily attacks against the government, its armed forces or the Ethiopian military. On Tuesday, gunmen launched eight mortars at the airport during a ceremony to welcome the Ugandans. Two shells hit the airport; the others dropped to the sea.

People attending the ceremony scattered at the sound of the first blast. Somalia’s deputy defense minister, Salad Ali Jelle, refused to comment afterward, saying officials were investigating.

In the ensuing gunbattle, masked gunmen travelling in vans fought Somali and Ethiopian troops looking for suspects.

“The gunmen reminded me of the insurgents in Iraq, especially the way they covered their faces and carried the RPG on the shoulders,” said resident Salah Yabarow Wardhere.

Just hours earlier, overnight, gunmen killed seven people, including a police commander and a leading cleric, government officials and witnesses said. The police commander and another officer were ambushed at a major intersection, said Mohamud Burale Coon, a tea shop owner.

Maslah Mohamed Abdi said his brother, who was the top cleric in one of Mogadishu’s main mosques, was killed outside his home. The gunmen then killed four businessmen who were chewing qat, a mild stimulant, in their home, a neighbour said.

“The men stood at the door of a room ... and then opened fire,” Halima Hashi Adow said.

The cleric and the four men had been trying to hire gunmen to protect them, their homes and their neighbourhood. But the insurgents use the neighbourhood to launch mortar attacks on Ethiopian bases and did not want any private security forces in the area, residents said.

African Union Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit said the peacekeepers are allowed to defend themselves if attacked, but would not launch attacks on anyone.

“Our mission is to support all Somalis and the political process, which is based on dialogue and reconciliation,” Djinnit said in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

A Somali government spokesman, meanwhile, said local police are prepared to fight the insurgency and crime wave.

“Security is paramount for the country to attain a lasting peace, and law enforcement mechanisms such as the prisons and police force are now ready,” Hussein Mohamud Hussein, the spokesman, said.

China's leaders shift focus of spending

The Chinese leadership has made big promises on the environment and poverty at the opening of parliament - the National People's Congress - in Beijing. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao also pledged greater support for education and health. His budget priorities reflect Beijing's recent focus on shifting spending to social programmes.

They were neglected while the communist government concentrated on boosting investment and trade. That has fuelled unprecedented economic growth in the country but not all have benefited. The Prime Minister made a further commitment to close the gap between the rich and the poor. Analysts question whether all these goals can be achieved.

Maoist rebels' shoot Indian MP

A member of parliament belonging to a prominent regional party in eastern India has been shot dead by suspected Maoists, officials have said.

Sunil Mahato of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was killed while watching a football match in Jharkhand, which has been the scene of a Maoist insurgency.

Two security guards and a party leader were also killed in the shoot out.

More than 6,000 people have died during the rebels' 20-year fight for a communist state in parts of India.

The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government in the state has called for India's top federal detective agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to lead an investigation into Sunday's murder.

The incident happened when Mr Mahato turned up in Kishanpur village to watch a local football match.

Ghatshila senior official Ramesh Dubey told the Press Trust of India news agency that about 15 Maoists came to the match and moved close to where Mr Mahato was sitting on the pretext of giving him a garland.

'Revenge'

He said Mr Mahato and his security guards died instantly after the men opened fire, while a local party leader died on his way to hospital.

Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda said he did not rule out the Maoists killing Mr Mahato in "revenge" for the government's drive against the Maoists in the region.

A spokesman for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha said a general strike has been called in the state on Monday in protest against the murder.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party is an ally of the governing Congress party.

The Maoist movement which began more than three decades ago has spread to a number of Indian states.

The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and landless workers.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Senior Taliban leader arrested in Pakistan

Declan Walsh in Islamabad Friday March 2, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Pakistan has made its first arrest of a senior Taliban commander, it emerged today, apparently bowing to intense western pressure to get tough on militant leaders sheltering inside its borders.

Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, a former Taliban defence minister, was captured in the western city of Quetta. He is the most senior Taliban official to be apprehended since US-led forces ousted the Islamist movement from power in late 2001.

Western diplomats hope the arrest marks a turning point in policy by Pakistan, which until now has bristled at demands to crack down on Taliban safe havens.

"We are very pleased," said a western official who confirmed the arrest. "It's precisely the sort of thing we have been pressing on the Pakistanis for some time."

Akhund is a leading figure on the Taliban leadership council and is reportedly one of the few confidants of Mullah Muhammad Omar, the fugitive Taliban leader.

His capture in Quetta on Monday lent further credence to suggestions that the city has become a headquarters for the Taliban, claims which have been heatedly denied by Pakistani officials. In January a captured Taliban spokesman said that Mullah Omar was hiding in Quetta. The Pakistani president, General Pervez Musharraf, later retorted that he was "500% sure" Omar was inside Afghanistan.

Mulllah Akhund had been under surveillance in Quetta for some time, the western official said, but it "wasn't clear" why Pakistani law enforcement had not swooped earlier. A crackdown in Quetta could provide an immediate benefit for British forces across the border in southern Afghanistan, who are braced for an expected Taliban spring offensive in the coming weeks.

Today, the Pakistani government appeared to have been caught off guard by leaked reports of Akhund's arrest. Interior minister Ahmed Khan Sherpao said five Afghans had been arrested but he would not confirm if Akhund was among them. The chief military spokesman said he had "no information".

Speculation was rife that the capture had been triggered by Monday's visit of Dick Cheney. The US vice-president urged Gen Musharraf to crack down on militant havens in the tribal belt and Baluchistan province, of which Quetta is the capital.

"Pakistan and the US are in a perfect patron-client relationship where service delivery is very important. Our service is to capture militants," said Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, a defence analyst in Islamabad.

Mr Musharraf is finding it increasingly difficult to balance the demands of his allies with sensitive domestic constraints. The Cheney visit involved some tough talking, said a source familiar with the conversation.

Mr Cheney pressed Gen Musharraf to be more forceful in Waziristan, the lawless tribal area where the US believes al-Qaida is regrouping. The general rejected the demand, saying that a militaristic approach to the tribal areas had failed in the past and could spark a civil war in the future.

Hours later, after Mr Cheney had left for Afghanistan, Mullah Akhund was captured. On Wednesday Gen Musharraf warned foreign "terrorists" to quit the mountainous tribal areas. "They should leave or they will be dealt with," he said.

Gen Musharraf is also under stiff internal pressure. A spate of suicide bombings in the past six weeks has killed almost 50 people.

Today, a bomb seriously wounded a senior anti-terrorist judge in the Punjabi city of Multan and killed at least three people.

Combined with veiled American threats to cut Pakistan's multi-billion pound aid package, the attacks are hardening anti-American sentiment even among moderates.

"We have to look out for ourselves," wrote commentator Ayaz Amir in Dawn newspaper, which broke the news of Mullah Akhund's capture. "We need to close ranks and stop portraying a picture of a house divided and almost at war with itself."

"There is a growing feeling in Pakistan that this is just not working, that we have gotten ourselves trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea," said Talat Masood, a retired general and analyst.

Koirala, Indian envoy discuss Maoists' inclusion in Nepal Government

There have been a lot of rumors floating in the streets of Kathmandu regarding inclusion of the Maoists in the present government and conducting Constituent Assembly. However, before every substantial development the intense consultations start with all stakeholders in Nepal including the foreigners.

It is believed in the same connection the in Kathmandu on Mar. 1 Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala held discussions with the Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee.

The 20 minute meeting at Baluwatar official residence of PM also discussed the current political situation in Nepal. This meeting comes in the wake of larger consultations between the Seven Party Alliance government and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-M). Maoist Chairman Prachanda is scheduled to meet Prime Minister for the same purpose within one or two days.

Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to Nepal James F Moriarty met Interim Parliament Speaker Subhas Nembang on the same issue.On Wednesday, Moriarty told CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal that he had doubts over the number of Maoist weapons registered with the United Nations.

Meanwhile, the meeting to decide the dates for the Constituent Assembly elections has been postponed till Friday. The Constituent Assembly elections are slated for mid-June

More than 700,000 homeless in U.S.

There were an estimated 754,000 homeless people in the United States, in shelters or living on the streets on a single night in January 2005.

U.S. officials said in a report to Congress released on Wednesday from February to April 2005, an estimated 704,000 people in the United States used shelters or transitional housing.


According to the study, during that period, 47% of people living in shelters were single adult men. Nearly one quarter were children 17 or younger. Less than 2% of the homeless population was 62 or older, compared with 15% of the total U.S. population.

Among other findings, the report said about 59% of the people in shelters were members of minority groups. It added that 45% of the homeless were African Americans.

Based on a sampling of communities across the United States, the study concluded that 24% of all adults in shelters were disabled.

Meantime, Director of the Washington-based National Coalition for the Homeless Michael Stoops said, "Many cities in this country are trying to give the impression that things are better than they really are, that homelessness is decreasing. But in reality, homelessness continues to increase regardless of who is in the White House or who controls Congress."

Nepalese people a tool for conspiracy??

Alarming news is coming from Nepal. The ongoing peace process might be the victim of the incidences that are taking place. One after another confrontations are occurring without any intervals before the proposed Constituent Assembly elections.

Why is it necessary to conduct CA election? It is believed that the people of Nepal are the supreme and their verdicts should be respected as their wish for their own destiny. The Constitution of new Nepal will be written by the elected representatives of the people.

However, each and every group seems determined to influence the government to accept their demands before CA elections. How can CA election conducted in such a situation be fair and free?

One can therefore argue if everything is already decided what is the need of conducting CA election? None of the political parties and the groups is ready to drop their demand and want to fulfill them by electing their representatives in CA. In this way, are not we discrediting CA election which was the only demand of the people during last year April movement?

Moreover, many people now have started thinking that CA elections might not take place at the stipulated time because of the worsening situation of the country.

Can CA elections be conducted without normalcy? It seems the whole country is at the verge of over turn. The government and the authority seem to be onlookers when incidences take places. Law and order situation has not improved in spite of the end of major battles.

People of Nepal have their own aspirations which are natural and normal but lack of security the natural flow of democratic exercises such as demonstrations and sit in protests have converted into a bloody anarchy. This is what many people think about recent movements of the Terai.

Now because of the prevailing political situation as well as a lot of things have to be completed before conducting Constituent Assembly elections the skeptical thoughts are going to be considered at all levels.

The recent comment from the head of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) Ian Martin is significantly meaningful. He has said there are a number of technical and political challenges before the Nepal government, particularly security, ahead of the Constituent Assembly elections slated for mid-June.

"There is an important question of how adequate security can be guaranteed for the election," Martin told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

Martin also cautioned that if Nepal failed to include traditionally marginalized groups in the peace process, the country would miss the opportunity to harness the strength and vision of its own people and leave some of the key underlying causes of the conflict unaddressed.

However, many experts believe that the people in Nepal must realize in a tiny country where so many ethnicities and marginalized groups are functioning the divisions of the country in ethnicity and language can easily create an atmosphere that provides an opportunity for those who want to fish in the troubled waters. Is not this what we experience everyday in Nepal?

Some political pundits even go further and wonder where people of Nepal exercise their democratic rights if the country no more exists. Have not we the Nepalese people become a tool of a great unseen conspirator?

Iran is prepared for any situation

Iran's deputy foreign minister says the country is prepared for any situation, even war, if the row over its nuclear weapons programme is not resolved.

The country's president has also warned there will be no break and no reverse gear in its nuclear fuel production.

The statements were made as Iran announced it has launched its first rocket capable of reaching space

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Iranian state television announced that the country today successfully tested its first space rocket.

However, officials said later the launch was for research purposes and the rocket would not go into orbit.

Today's launch comes at a time of mounting tension between Tehran and the West over Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

This afternoon President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered another provocative speech, insisting there is no going back on Iran's nuclear activities. He likened his country's nuclear programme to a train with no breaks and no reverse gear.

His deputy foreign minister, Manouchehr Mohammadi said they were prepared for any situation, "even for war".

The US responded by saying that what Iran needs to do is halt weapon's-related activities.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany are due to meet tomorrow to discuss the possibility of more sanctions over the nuclear issue.

Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0225/iran1.html

Nepal’s Maoists fought war: one weapon for 9 combatants??

Every one interestingly watching political developments in Nepal is surprised and under suspicion as the number of the weapons registered is relatively low compared to the number of registered PLA.
According to Kantipur daily, the government talks team expressed their surprise with the Maoist talks team about the relatively fewer number of weapons compared with the number of combatants registered.
The United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has informed that it has registered 30852 combatants and 3428 weapons. The ratio of army personals and weapons is exactly 9:1.
Is it not quite interesting to learn about the Maoists technique of warfare if such low numbers of weapons can engage a comparatively large in size and well trained Nepalese Army? May be the military experts must have answers to this question.
Maoist leader Nanda Kishor Pun said they have already cantoned all the weapons they possessed. Mr. Pun (Pasang) is deputy commander of the PLA who claimed that they have handed over all the weapons.
He added, besides some homemade weapons, the Maoists had been using the arms seized from the army and police forces during the raids. He totally rejected the charges that the Maoists have buried some weapons. The Maoists have said that they only had socket bombs in large number. The number of the socket bombs are yet to be public.
However, the leaders of major political parties have termed the concern, raised from various sides regarding lesser amount of arms registered by the Maoists as compared to their combatants, as unnecessary.
Interacting with media persons in the capital, Saturday, they cautioned that raising such an issue at this juncture could affect the ongoing peace process.
CPN UML standing committee member, Bam Dev Gautam said the other parties should trust the Maoists when they say that they have produced all the arms before the United Nations monitors.
Nepali Congress leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala was of views the parties should give importance to create atmosphere of political honesty and trust over the issue of weapons allegedly hidden by the Maoists. But are the Maoists really honest in declaring their arms?
Army specialist Indrajit Rai said he thought the Maoists had 12,000 weapons and understood that they will show 6000 later.
Meanwhile, leader of Nepali Congress Democratic, Dr Minendra Rijal said the responsibility actually lies on the Maoists to prove to the Nepali people, the Prime Minister, and the UN that they have not hidden any arms.

U.N.: Nearly 31,000 former rebels confined to camp as part of Nepal peace process

By Binaj Gurubacharya ASSOCIATED PRESS February 23, 2007 KATMANDU, Nepal – Some 30,852 former communist rebel combatants have been registered in camps where they are confined as part of a peace process to end conflict in Nepal, a senior U.N. official said Friday. Ian Martin, U.N.'s chief official in Nepal, also said 3,428 weapons held by the Maoist rebels have also been locked up as part of the peace deal between the guerrillas and the government. The arms included automatic weapons, mortars, rifles and machine guns. The rebels agreed to a peace process last year and joined a temporary parliament in January. They are set to join an interim government that is to conduct this year's elections. Martin said the first phase of the registration of these combatants have been completed and the second phase is expected to begin soon. “The weapons and ammunition stored at the seven Maoist army main cantonments are locked in storage containers furnished with shelves for safe weapons storage and easy control with a complete inventory,” Martin told reporters in Katmandu. However, he said there were concerns some facilities might not have adequate security. Earlier this week, hundreds of these former combatants stormed out of one of the main camps in south Nepal, protesting lack of shelter, food and supplies. Most returned back to the camp on Friday. Abhiral, a local rebel commander who goes by one name, said all those who had left the camp in the southern town of Chitwan on Wednesday had returned after receiving instructions from their leaders. Abhiral said the living conditions were miserable, and it had become impossible to remain at the camp. Many former guerrillas have been living in shelters made of straw and leaves, he said. Heavy winter rains last week worsened conditions. But Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said the government has already $5 million for food, clothing and other essentials, and another $4.2 million for infrastructure such as roads, electricity and drinking water. “The money is enough to feed and maintain the Maoist combatants for months,” Mahat said. “We have provided the basic facilities in the seven main camps, but work is progressing in the satellite camps.” Martin, the U.N. representative, visited some of the camps last week and urged the government to immediately improve conditions. The government and rebels signed a peace agreement in November, halting a decade-long communist insurgency that killed more than 13,000 people. Under the deal, thousands of former guerrillas are being housed until elections later this year in seven main camps and 21 smaller “satellite” camps after turning in their weapons, which are locked up under U.N. supervision. The rebels joined a temporary parliament in January, and are set to join an interim government that is to conduct this year's elections.

48 nations gather to fight cluster bombs

By DOUG MELLGREN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

OSLO, Norway -- Representatives from 48 nations on Thursday launched a global effort to ban the use, production and stockpiling of cluster bombs by the end of next year, despite the opposition of several of the world's major military powers.

Steve Goose from the Human Rights Watch Cluster Monition Coalition, participates in the opening of a conference on cluster bombs in Oslo Thursday Feb. 22, 2007. A 48-nation meeting on cluster bombs opened in Oslo on Thursday with Austria pledging to ban the weapons and organizers saying an international treaty outlawing the munitions could be achieved by 2008. (AP Photo/Stian Lysberg Solum, SCANPIX)

A draft declaration, obtained by The Associated Press, said these weapons - which can linger on former battlefields for years - cause "unacceptable harm." It calls for a treaty banning them by 2008, despite concerns that some countries would not agree to act that quickly.

Norway hopes the treaty would be similar to one outlawing anti-personnel mines, negotiated in Oslo in 1997.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said advocates should push for a treaty by the end of 2008, despite concerns. "I believe any other target will be a wrong signal," he said.

The U.S., China and Russia oppose the ban and did not send representatives to the meeting. Australia, Israel, India and Pakistan also did not attend.

Cluster bombs are small devices packed with high explosives and loaded into artillery shells, bombs or missiles. When the larger munition explodes, it scatters hundreds of the mini-explosives - called bomblets - over large areas.

A percentage of these bomblets typically fail to explode immediately, but may still detonate if they are picked up or struck - endangering civilians, often children, years after conflicts end.

The draft declaration calls for a treaty that would "prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of those cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians."

The treaty, the declaration said, should also create a framework for helping victims of cluster bombs, clearing the munitions and "destruction of stockpiles of prohibited cluster munitions," the document said.

It also urged countries to consider banning such weapons before the treaty takes effect. Norway, which is spearheading the initiative, has already done so. Austria announced a moratorium on cluster bombs at the start of the conference.

"This is a critical juncture," Steve Goose of Human Rights Watch told delegates. "Let us hope this meeting will be remembered as the meeting where a large number of countries decided that cluster munitions are not just another weapon."

Goose called cluster bombs "a humanitarian disaster waiting to happen" since they continue to kill long after a conflict has ended.

The Cluster Munition Coalition, an advocacy group co-hosting Wednesday's civilian forum, said the weapons have recently been used in Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Lebanon.

The U.N. has estimated that Israel dropped as many as 4 million of the bomblets in southern Lebanon during last year's war with Hezbollah, with as many 40 percent failing to explode on impact.

Activists say children can be attracted to the unexploded weapons by their small size, shape and bright colors or shiny metal surfaces. As many as 60 percent of cluster bomb victims in Southeast Asia are children, the Cluster Munition Coalition said.

The U.S., Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Japan say the weapons can be dealt with under the 1980 U.N. Convention on Conventional Weapons.

However, treaty advocates say those talks are stalled, and a new avenue is needed.

Gahr Stoere said advocates should push for a treaty even without the support of big countries like the U.S. and China.

"I think we learned from the experience from the anti-personnel mine campaign in the '90s that if we were to wait for those countries to take the lead it will be a long wait," he said at a news conference.

"What we do here hopefully will engage those countries and that they will see merit to create rules and regulations to handle this issue. I'm not pessimistic in that regard."

On Wednesday, Simon Conway, of the Britain's Landmine Action group, said some countries attending the conference may seek to weaken the one-page draft declaration by demanding postponement of its treaty target date of 2008.

---

On the Net: http://www2.norway.or.jp/policy/news

Nepal: Maoists still holding child soldiers

KATHMANDU, 21 February (IRIN) - The United Nations and several aid agencies in Nepal on Wednesday strongly urged the former Maoist rebels to return child soldiers to their families. Despite the peace agreement signed in November 2006, child soldiers have not been discharged by the Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA), although it has persistently denied recruiting children.
The Maoist group, also known as the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M), waged an armed rebellion against the Nepalese state for more than a decade, demanding a communist republic and a new constitution.
Peace prevailed after successful talks with the government of an alliance of seven national parties after the end of direct rule by the Nepalese monarch, King Gyanendra, in April 2006.
But when the Maoists agreed to a UN-supervised management of weapons and troops, releasing the child soldiers was totally ignored by the Maoist leaders.
"The Maoists have failed to accept the recruitment of children into their army and party but the reality is that they are being hidden inside their camps," said prominent child rights activist Gauri Pradhan, president of Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), which has been fighting the political and economic exploitation of children.
Pradhan added that the activists investigating the issue of child soldiers in the field had enough evidence that the Maoists have not been truthful.
The report by the UN Secretary-General on "Children and Armed Conflict in Nepal", released on Wednesday, provided evidence with documented cases that children continue to be recruited and used in various capacities.
The report, prepared by a task force of a coalition of international and national child protection agencies, initially found at least 512 cases of child recruitment in September 2006. As more investigations followed, the task force found more than 1,811 children associated with the armed forces and armed groups, also known as CAAFAG.
"Very few boys and girls who were taken away from their homes have returned. We urge the CPN-M to stop the recruitment of children," said Matthew Kahane, the UN resident coordinator. He asked the CPN-M to cooperate with the UN and child protection agencies to ensure the release of children associated with the PLA, militia and other CPN-M organisations.
There is no accurate estimate of the numbers of child soldiers but according to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, about 20 percent of the 30,000 soldiers in the Maoist army are younger than 18.
"The Maoists still have the opportunity to release the child soldiers as our protection agencies are prepared to provide full support towards their rehabilitation and reintegration into mainstream society, but the constant denial by the Maoist leaders is only causing more damage to these children," said Pradhan.
The UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has completed the first phase of registering combatants and arms and is poised to start the second phase of registration and will also look into the issue of child soldiers.
"We have to ensure the demobilisation of child soldiers and we look forward to working with various agencies as the task moves forward," said the UN Secretary-General's personal representative in Nepal, Ian Martin, who also heads UNMIN.
Local and international activists say the Maoist leadership is not able to control their junior cadres at local level in the villages where the children continue to be recruited into the Maoist army.
nn/at/ar/mw
IRIN news

Nepal: Maoists Weapons Locked Out; Numbers not Disclosed

Nepal’s on going peace process has gained another mile stone. The registration of the Maoist combatants and their weapons process has concluded in all seven cantonments of the now-disarming People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the Maoists in Nepal.
Now the weapons of the rebels have been duly locked up in special containers that are supposed to be monitored round-the-clock by the UN monitors.
Chief of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), Ian Martin, has submitted a report on the registration of PLA combatants and arms to the government and the Maoist leaders on 20th Feb. Monday.
However, the numbers of the weapons as well as the combatants are not disclosed. But it is widely speculated that the disclosure will take place after the verification of the arms not locked for keeping security of the Maoists leaders.
It is reported in various media that the representatives of the UN, the government and the Maoists have agreed to disclose the number of combatants and the arms registered by the UN monitors within a week following the verification of arms kept for the security of Maoist leaders.

Terai protesters call transport strike, Nepal bandh

Monday 19th February, 2007 (IANS)

As a 10-day ultimatum to the Nepal government expired without any response, ethnic protesters in the Terai plains have announced a nine-day transport strike from Feb 25, to be followed by an indefinite general strike in March.
The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, a socio-political organisation spearheading an agitation for an autonomous Madhes state in the plains since last month, Monday said it was resuming its protests, as the government had done nothing to create a conducive atmosphere for talks.
'Our protests are resuming from today,' Forum activist Awadhesh Kumar Singh, a Supreme Court lawyer, said. 'For four days, we will hold peaceful public meetings and rallies. But from Sunday, we are calling a transport strike in all the districts in the Terai as well as a blockade of the customs offices on the Indo-Nepal border.'
He said the protests would spread beyond the plains from March 6, when the activists will enforce an indefinite Nepal shutdown.
'We want to resolve problems through peaceful negotiations,' Upendra Yadav, another lawyer turned activist who is heading the protests, told IANS Sunday night as the 10-day deadline ended Sunday night.
'But the government is forcing us to resume our struggle. Consequently, this time our movement is going to be even more severe.'The protesters have been demanding the resignation of Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula as a pre-condition for beginning talks with the government. At least 29 people have died during the protests and over 400 injured.
They are also asking for the arrest of the Maoist cadres who allegedly killed a 17-year-old schoolboy during the first days of the protests, escalating the violence.
Their protests paralysed the Terai plains and cut off the highway connecting Nepal with India, which is the lifeline for essential supplies and fuel from India.
The disruptions forced Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to agree to amend the newly promulgated constitution and meet the protesters' demand for a federal government.
The government also agreed to add more constituencies for the June elections in the plains, based on population.
The demand for an autonomous Madhes state for plains people arose after over 200 years of neglect of the diaspora by a succession of rulers. The Madehsi community has near zero representation in the government, judiciary and army.
The Madhes movement has fuelled the imagination of other neglected indigenous communities, who are also demanding autonomous states with the right to self-determination.
From Monday, the Madeshi Janadhukar Forum is joining forces with the Nepal Adivasi Janajati Mahasangh, an umbrella organisation of indigenous protesters, to begin a joint movement.
The announcement of a fresh stir would deal a blow to Nepal's industries, which lost millions due to the continuing unrest in the plains for the last three weeks.
Anticipating such a move, people in the Kathmandu valley began panic-buying petro-products from Sunday.
It remains to be seen how the protests will affect the meeting of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) commerce ministers to be held here Feb 26 and the bilateral Indo-Nepal meeting Feb 22-23 to discuss the Indo-Nepal Trade Treaty that expires March 5.

Shivaratri Observed Peacefully

Mahashivaratri, one of the greatest festivals of Hindus, is being celebrated across the country by offering prayer to lord Shiva.
Hindu devotees are thronging the temples of lord Shiva and worshipping him for well being in their lives.
Mahasivaratri festival is celebrated every year on the 14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month Falgun in the Hindu Calendar.

A sadhu at Pashupatinath Temple

The most significant practices on this day are offerings of Bael (Bilva) leaves to the Lord Shiva, fasting and all night long vigil.
There is long queue of devotees in Pashupatinath temple of the capital.
The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has set up two main queues leading to Pashupati temple and a ramp in the temple premises, near its main gate, to facilitate pilgrims. One queue has been managed via Mitrapark-Umakunda-Kailash-Basuki temple and the other via Gaushala-Banakali Dharmashala and Pancha Deval.

Sadhu Blessing a boy on Shivaratri

Starting new provision from this year, the PADT has decided not to bar devotees from offering homage to lord Pashupatinath during the royal visit to the temple as previous years.
Tight security has been managed to check any untoward incident during the festival.
The PADT is expecting nearly 400,000 devotees to visit Pashupatinath temple as compared to 250,000 devotees of last year. The PADT also informed that about 4,000 sadhus (saints) were expected this year. nepalnews.com pb Feb 16 07

Snow in Kathmandu: Valentine’s Day gift from Mother Nature !

Normally it does not snow in Kathmandu valley. However, the Valley witnessed snowfall in 63 years on Wednesday morning. People saw snowing and started coming out into the streets to enjoy snow on Valentine’s Day. School children ran out of their classrooms. Everywhere cell phone started ringing that paralyzed the system for an hour with the unexpectedly rise in calls.

The snow was part of a westerly disturbance that had earlier dumped about 20 mm of rain all over Nepal. The last time westerly disturbance rain in Kathmandu was 63 years ago when there was five inches of snow.

The temperature hovered at 7 degrees all day Wednesday, but that wasn't cold enough for the snow in the Valley. However, the hills surrounding Kathmandu had snow down to 1,900 m with roofs in Thankot, Dakshinkali and even Budalnilkantha with accumulation.

However, normal life across the country has been badly affected Wednesday due to incessant rain and snowfall. Some places around Kathmandu Valley have been covered with snow, inviting hundreds of merrymakers and Valentine's Day celebrators. For many merrymakers snow is their Valentine gift from the Mother Nature.

Nepal: Sadus and Shivaratri

This year Shivaratri falls on 16th February. To every Hindu Shivaratri is one of the holiest days. This day has been observed all over the world by the Hindus as the birthday of Lord Shiva the only Guru of all Shadu sects.

Most sects are rather moderate in their practices, but some can be quite extreme. Some of the well known sects are: the Naga babas, the Gorakhnathis or Yogis, the Udasin, the Aghoris, and the Ramanandis,

Picture courtesy ©Glenn Losack 2006 All rights reserved

Naga sadhus are a large and a prominent Shaiva sect, who have existed since the prehistoric past. The Naga sect is subdivided into Akharas, i.e. 'regiments', like an army. Their displays of weaponry -- sticks, spears, swords and especially the trident -- have a symbolic function. Among the Nagas many walk naked.

High up in the icy Himalayas naked Bhola Giri Nagababa blows the serpentine horn, called nagphani, or 'cobra-hood', producing one piercing note. This instrument is related to the cobra (naga), the intimate companion of Lord Shiva, always coiled around his neck.

In their nakedness they do not emanate sexuality. On the contrary, they control, inhibit the sexual 'vibrations', retaining its energy so it can be mystically transformed into psychic and spiritual power.

The chilam, a clay pipe smoked by many Sadhus through cupped hands, is filled with tobacco, marijuana and hashish.

The government of Nepal has been providing wooden logs, hashish and marijuana to the visiting babas for keeping them out of cold during February.

Since Nepal had been officially only Hindu state in the world and the temple of Pahupati Nath is situated in Kathmandu, from time immemorial the Shivaratri has been observed with pumps and shows hosting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the world. Among them Sadhus are always front runners.

Picture courtesy ©Glenn Losack 2006 All rights reserved

In the Hindu religion Sadhus are considered as the disciple of Lord Shiva. Many devotees still believe that sometimes Lord Shiva himself incarnates as a Shadu and visits the places like Kumbha Mela and Pashupati Nath. Thus people from far and wide come to Kathmandu for Shivaratri.

However, as Shivaratri is drawing near Kathmandu elites seem raising their eyebrows with many still unanswered questions. As this is the first year of the declaration of the secular state will the government of Nepal keep tradition of welcoming Sadus or will it just do not care? Can the government of Nepal ignore the traditional belief and the values of the majority of the people? Will the role played by the government of Nepal during the Shivaratri indicate the course of the country?

Adding to the unanswered questions, people in Nepal are sensing violence that can trigger during Shivaratri as the World Hindu Federation and other Hindu fundamentalist groups are planning to bring some 30,000 Naga sadhus or Naga babas from India to Kathmandu to stage sit-in and demonstrations to revive the world only Hindu state.

The government has reportedly received information about the infiltration of thousands of fundamentalist Hindu activists from India to join the pro-Hindu demonstrations in Kathmandu.

What would be the streets of Kathmandu like if thousands of Sadhus, infiltrators and simple devotees alike demonstrate during this holly day of Shivaratri?

One can wonder if the government of Nepal should ban the demonstration of the Hindus.

Nepal tightens border security to prevent Naga sadhus entry

Nepal government has beefed up security on the border to prevent thousands of Naga sadhus from India joining Nepalese Hindu activists during Shivratri to demand that the Himalayan nation be again declared a Hindu state.

A secret circular has been issued to the administration in the border areas to check the entry of sadhus from India during the Hindu festival, which falls on February 16, Home Ministry sources said.

The World Hindu Federation and other Hindu fundamentalist groups are planning to bring some 30,000 Naga sadhus or Naga babas from India to Kathmandu to stage sit-in and demonstrations to save the world's only Hindu monarch and revive the Hindu state, WHF said in a statement.

"The government has reportedly received information about the infiltration of thousands of fundamentalist Hindu activists from India to join the pro-Hindu demonstrations in KathmanduThe Kathmandu Post. aimed at reviving the Hindu state," the sources told

Nepal was converted into a secular state through the Parliament Declaration on May 18, 2006 and the major parties have virtually agreed to abolish monarchy through Constituent Assembly election slated for June.

The local administration in the district bordering India have been instructed to tighten the flow of the sadhus through the open border during the festival

The administration in the border areas have informed their Indian counterparts about the plan and sought necessary cooperation, the report said.