“As per our liquidation plan, we are withdrawing our arms monitors and other staff from Thursday,” said a knowledgeable UNMIN source, “Only a small number of field staff will stay till mid-night of January 15.”
The source said that there will be withdrawal of staff from all the seven main cantonments by Saturday. [break]
“Some arms monitors are leaving ahead of time [January 15] but UNMIN will continue to have its presence till the end of its mandate,” said Kosmos Biswokarma, UNMIN spokesperson, when asked for an official comment.
Currently, a team of 71 arms monitors from 18 troops contributing countries have been stationed at each Maoist cantonment and at the weapon storage site of the Nepal Army at Chhauni. In addition to these international arms monitors there are also national staff working as support force and language assistants in the cantonments.
In the meantime, UNMIN officials on Wednesday met Balananda Sharma, coordinator of the Special Committee Secretariat, on Thursday to discuss possible handover of monitoring equipment and logistics, and arms containers after January 15.
kiran@myrepublica.com
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