UK & Brussels Warned of Threat to Peace in Nepal

A leading peace and human rights campaigner from Nepal, Dr K B Rokaya has been warning of an imminent threat to peace in Nepal if more progress is not made to implement the conditions of the peace agreement, as he visited the UK and Brussels.

Dr Rokaya was hosted by The Church of Scotland and Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and has been meeting with members of the European Parliament in Brussels, UK MPs in Westminster and Foreign Office officials. He has also addressed the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

During his visit, Dr Rokaya has described the failure to implement many of the measures outlined within the peace agreement, signed last November. This includes the failure to establish a National Human Rights Commission, to form the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to investigate the whereabouts of those who were 'disappeared' during the conflict.

In addition, the failure to hold elections in mid-June 2007, as specified in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement as well as the Interim Constitution, has caused the CPN (Maoist) party to say that the whole process is now invalidated unless rapid progress is made in negotiating the future of the Monarchy in Nepal.

Since its integration into the Government, the CPN (Maoist) party has used democratic means to influence the peace process, including submitting a petition of 1.5 million signatures to Parliament and presenting a proposal demanding that the parliament declare Nepal a republic state.

Dr Rokaya is the first Christian in the former Hindu Kingdom to be appointed to an official role within the peace process in the country, serving on the Cease Fire Code of Conduct National Monitoring Committee in 2006, and acting as Vice President of the Inter-Religious Council. As General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Nepal (NCCN), he plays a leading role in practical action for justice and peace.

Commenting on the situation in Nepal, Dr Rokaya said: "Unless immediate positive steps are taken to re-invigorate the peace process, much of the population in Nepal is likely to support the CPN (Maoist) party in a new people's uprising which may lead to fresh violent confrontations."

CSW's National Director, Stuart Windsor, said: "It is a privilege to have hosted such a key figure in the Nepal peace process. In the period leading up to the peace agreement, which was signed last November, Dr Rokaya led people of many faiths to take an active role in the process. However, when the peace process hangs in such a fragile state, it is even more important that the international community again takes an interest in Nepal and prevents the agreement from breaking up."