Nepal mulls using retired Gurkhas in peacekeeping role

Kathmandu - Nepal's government, Maoists and the United Nations may use retired Gurkhas, famed worldwide as professional soldiers, to monitor a ceasefire and move forward a peace process, the UN said.

"Both of them (Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and rebel leader Prachanda) expressed some interest in a temporary arrangement whereby perhaps Nepalis who have served in the Indian or British armies might be able to assist in the early stages of monitoring, particularly in the early stages of storage," said chief UN representative in Nepal Ian Martin.

Nepal's government and the rebels have invited the UN to monitor Maoist camps set up to house arms and soldiers in seven areas throughout the country, and an initial deployment of 35 UN monitors was expected to arrive in the next few weeks, Martin said.

"Recruitment of those 35 is going ahead. I can't tell you exactly when they will be arriving but we hope it will be in the next two to three weeks," Martin said.

The monitors slated to arrive in late December, however, would not be able to cover all the rebel camps, Martin said, adding that Gurkha soldiers -- special regiments of Nepali soldiers in the Indian and British armies -- had a long history of UN peacekeeping missions.

The rebels and government signed a landmark peace accord last month that will see the rebels enter government in exchange for placing their army and weapons in camps under UN monitoring.

An assessment team from UN headquarters would arrive in Nepal at the weekend to "develop an overall plan and concept for the United Nations mission that will deliver the various forms of assistance," Martin told reporters.

The agreement that outlines the UN role still needs to be signed by the world body, as it needs some "minor clarifications in wording," said Martin, UN chief Kofi Annan's personal representative on Nepal's peace process.

Martin returned from New York Wednesday, where he had briefed Annan and the security council on developments in the peace process.

The former Maoist insurgents control large swathes of the Nepalese countryside and claim to have 35,000 fighters, but other estimates put their numbers at closer to 12,000. In recent weeks they have faced fresh accusations of forcibly recruiting new cadres to swell their numbers.

They have long said they eventually wanted to merge their People's Liberation Army with the 90,000-strong Nepal army.

Under the peace deal signed last week, the Maoists would take 73 seats in a 330-seat interim parliament that would pave the way for fresh elections next year to a constituent assembly.

The assembly is to rewrite the constitution and decide the fate of the 238-year-old Nepalese monarchy.

The Maoists and an alliance of seven political parties led mass protests in April that forced King Gyanendra to abandon 14 months of absolute rule he said was needed to crush the Maoist rebellion. -- AFP

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