IANS, Kathmandu, Oct 2: On the eve of its representatives’ visit to Nepal, the European Parliament has urged for tougher action against the government headed by King Gyanendra, proposing the appointment of a rapporteur for the violence-hit kingdom.
In its plenary session last week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Nepal proposing a special rapporteur from its side to monitor the situation and asking the international community to establish a contact group — made up of the country’s key partners and international organisations, the United Nations, European Union, United States and India, to provide a coordinated international action.
The members of the European Parliament have also asked the European Council and member states to continue withholding military aid to the Royal Nepalese Army, monitor all aid and imposed ‘smart sanction’ to pressurise Gyanendra to hand over power to a democratic government and explore all avenues for peace talks.
The members have also asked the European Commission and member states to closely scrutinise all development aid to Nepal to ensure it is used for poverty alleviation and not diverted to other uses. Striking a new note, the members asked the king, who announced that municipal elections would be held by April 2006, to hold parliamentary elections too at the same time.
The EU, the members urged, should send an election observation mission to monitor these elections. All political parties should be able to participate fully in the elections, they said.
“Basic human rights and freedoms must be upheld in Nepal,” the resolution said, asking both the king and the Maoists to sign the human rights accords to curb abuses. Welcoming the three-month unilateral cease-fire called by Nepal’s communist guerrillas last month, it asked the rebels to extend the truce indefinitely and urged the king to reciprocate and begin ‘constructive talks’ with the political parties, including the outlaws.
In a surprise move bound to anger China, the members have also asked Nepal to re-establish the Tibetan Refugee Welfare office here and allow a representative office of the Dalai Lama to resume operations in providing relief services to Tibetan refugees.
The offices were closed down recently at the behest of China.
