More Nepal Army personnel to be in UN peace keeping operations: FM
15/10/2008 17:37
The United Nations (UN) has agreed to include more Nepal Army personnel at
higher levels in UN peace keeping operations, Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav has
said.
According to today's The Kathmandu Post daily, the UN has agreed to
increase the role of the Nepali Army at command and decision making levels, he
said.
"So far there have been few opportunities for the Nepal Army at higher
levels," said Yadav who returned home yesterday after participating in the 63rd
UN General Assembly.
There have been four Nepal Army generals who served as
UN peacekeeping mission force commanders and one who served at UN headquarters
as adviser to the Secretary-General, according to spokesman of the Nepal Army,
Brigadier Ramindra Chettri.
"There was some delay (by the UN) in appointing
Nepalis to command positions," said Chettri. Out of the 60 years of UN peace
keeping operations, Nepal has been involved for 50 years. At present Nepal Army
personnel are serving in 13 different countries including Congo and Haiti, which
have the highest number of Nepali peacekeepers.
There has also been an
agreement on increasing the number of Nepali peacekeeping troops from the
current level of 3,700 to 5, 000, Yadav said at the press conference at the
airport in Kathmandu.
According to the agreement between the government and
the UN, Nepal can provide up to 5,000 peacekeepers at one time.
Xinhua
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