"The government has been pondering various options for responding to a UN letter received on October 20," said a source at the prime minister´s office, adding, "The cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning is likely to come up with a final decision."[break]
In the letter, the global body had drawn the attention of the government to the insecure conditions under which Nepal Police peacekeepers have been working. In addition, the government was cautioned that the mission could be declared non-functional if the APCs are not supplied at the earliest. The cabinet meeting is also expected to respond to the UN letter.
The government is under pressure to supply APCs to the peacekeepers at the earliest as they have been working without APCs for long after the previosuly supplied APCs were obsolete and substandard. The UN has already cautioned the government that the Nepali mission could be declared non-funcational if the blue helmets are not provided APCs at the earliest.
According to the source, the cabinet meeting may take three decisions. First, it may decide to procure APCs invoking Clause 66 of the Public Procurement Act. The provision allows public procurement to take place without meeting normal procedural requirements. Such procurement under special conditions will take a shorter time. Second, the cabinet may also decide to ask the UN not to take any decision about repatriating the mission. Finally, the government may decide to write to the global body informing that the APC procurement process has been initiated and the vehicles will be supplied to the mission in Sudan at the earliest.
The government felt urgency to reach a decision to procure new APCs amidst reports that the Nepali peacekeepers will be repatriated if the APCs are not made available to them by January 9.
But a source in New York said on Monday that the Department of Peace-Keeping Operations (DPKO), as of Monday, has not set any such deadline.
"DPKO has expressed its concern over Nepali peacekeepers working without APCs but has not given any deadline to us to supply APCs to the blue helmets," the source privy to the talks between the Nepali Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the DPKO told Republica over the phone from New York, Monday.
"And even if DPKO proceeds to set such a deadline, it will consult us to allow us the needed time for procurement and delivery of the APCs," the source said.
The disclosure has come amidst government haste to procure and supply APCs to the 140-strong unit of the Nepal Police working in Darfur.
Even if the government is set to procure the APCs at the earliest, they will not reach to Sudan as immediately as the government expects. A UN diplomat familiar with the delivery of the obsolete APCs to the mission in 2008 said that the APCs had reached Sudan then in around eight months.
"It will take a minimum 2-3 months to send the APCs to Darfur provided the APCs are available in stock," said the diplomat on condition of anonymity, "It will take longer if the procurement process starts now."
This means that even if the government decides to procure under the special provision, the APCs will not be at the peacekeepers´ disposal at least for another four to six months, the former UN diplomat said.
Meanwhile, the source at the prime minister´s office said the Nepali peacekeepers without APCs are unlikely to be deployed in Darfur during the January 9-15 referendum there.
The knowledgeable source said the UN has sent indications that Nepali blue helmets may stay inside camps during the referendum due to lack of APCs.
However, a police officer in Darfur told Republica over the phone that Nepali peacekeepers have already been deployed for the referendum.
"We have been mobilized with the Pakistani and Bangladesh peacekeepers. We have been using their APCs," said the police officer asking not to be named.
Related story
Sanima Capital appointed issue manager of Citizens Bank
_20210926115209.jpg)
