Maoists want PLA ranks unchanged after integration

KATHMANDU, May 16: The UCPN (Maoist) has proposed that the ranks of its combatants be arranged on par with their current ones while being integrated into the security agencies. The Maoists floated such a proposal during a meeting held with NC and UML on Saturday.

“The proposal is unacceptable as the ranks of the Maoist combatants can not be arranged on such a basis. We have asked the Maoist leaders to further discuss the proposal in their party,” said a leader who is engaged in the talks with the NC and UML for the last one week.

Currently, Maoist Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Maoist Standing Committee member Barshaman Pun have been discussing the issue of integration with Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Dr Minendra Rijal and CPN-UML leaders Pradeep Gyawali and Bhim Rawal.

According to the leader, the Maoist leaders verbally floated their model of integration, proposing to create a new force comprising personnel from the Nepal Army (NA), Armed Police Force (APF), Nepal Police (NP) and People´s Liberation Army (PLA).

The Maoists, according to another leader, proposed that the force should include 50 percent Maoist combatants and the rest from security agencies.

“We have rejected it outright because such a proposal is contradictory to past agreements and understanding,” said Dr Mahat said.

Mahat said the combatants should be integrated into the existing security agencies as creating a new force would be against the past agreements. The agreements have spelled out that the Maoist “combatants can be integrated” into security forces.

A CPN-UML leader who participated in the meeting told Republica that the Maoist proposal has back-peddled the whole negotiations on integration. He said the Maoists had already agreed that there would be no new force for Maoist combatants and that they would be integrated into existing security agencies.

“There is a big gap between what the NC and CPN-UML leaders have understood about integration and what the Maoists proposed yesterday [Saturday],” said a CPN-UML leader on condition of anonymity, “If that is going to be their formal proposal, whatever we have achieved with regard to integration of Maoist combatants will be reversed.”

In the meantime, PLA Spokesperson Chandra Prakash Khanal said that his party has proposed bulk integration of the combatants.

“The integration should be at the battalion level,” said Khanal on the party´s position on basis of integration.

But NC and UML have rejected such a basis of integration.

“Integration should be made on individual basis and that too on the basis of existing standard norms. We are also mindful that such integration should be honorable,” Mahat added.

“We have asked the Maoist leaders to take into consideration the fact that other parties want to see the peace process reach an irreversible point,” said CPN-UML leader Gyawali.

It is not yet clear when the Maoists will formally bring their version of integration modality for discussion with NC and UML.

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