Tom Daschle

Senator Tom Daschle:

I want to acknowledge and thank the national Democratic Institute for supporting my visit to Nepal. In this past week, I have met with His Majesty King Gyanendra, political party leaders, civil society representatives, business people, and many others. My purposes in coming to Nepal were three-fold: to express the people of Nepal the strong support of the American people for the restoration of democracy and democratic institutions and the resolution of the violent Maoist insurgency; to assess the current political crisis; and to urge Nepal's political leaders to come together expeditiously to resolve Nepal's crisis, recognizing how the current impasse imperils democracy and progress.

It is clear that the Maoist conflict must be resolved through a political solution and that this will be most effectively undertaken after reconciliation is achieved between the political parties and the palace. The need for reconciliation between the king and the mainstream political parties is immediate. All personal and partisan considerations should now be put aside for the good of the Nepali people.

It is incumbent upon the King, given his stature, to call upon the political parties to become partners in a dialogue to restore democracy and peace to Nepal and make this a priority of His Government. His Majesty's Government must also respect and restore all civil and political rights, including freedom of the press, and the resumption of news broadcasts on FM radio. He must also remove any restrictions on peaceful assembly and expression. The RNA must continue to improve its performance in respecting the human rights of both civilians and combatants while fighting against the Maoist insurgency. All political prisoners should be released, including former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Prakash Man Singh, and the Royal Commission For Corruption Control (RCCC) should be dissolved and corruption cases referred to the constitutionally-created Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Attempts by the palace to consolidate royal power through controls on the civil service, the education system, NGOs, the press, and other areas should be reversed and ended. Corrupt individuals and convicted criminals should have no place in His Majesty's Government. Without a resolution of the crisis and a quick return by the Palace to constitutional norms, there will be growing civil unrest and growing discontent in Nepal with the institution of the monarchy.

Political parties deserve praise for the many achievements made under the twelve years of parliamentary democracy, and for the current unity of purpose that they are now displaying. Nevertheless, they can and should do more to alleviate the political crisis, Understanding that corruption has in no way been limited to political parties, but has been present in many Nepali institutions, political parties must nonetheless demonstrate to the Nepali people a willingness to improve their performance and fight corruption where necessary. They should commit publicly to genuine party reform, internal democracy, transparency and accountability and the removal of corrupt figures from their ranks. They should also offer a clear and detailed blueprint for change, progress and peace to the people and recapture the Nepali people's faith through their actions and commitments. They should also unconditionally and unambiguously offer to begin dialogue with the king, regardless of past wrongs, real and perceived.

The Maoist threat is serious and ongoing and must be resolved. Besides the terrible human suffering caused by this violent insurgency, it is undermining economic progress in Nepal as well as the institutions of democracy. A military victory by either side in this conflict is very unlikely. The only real solution is political. While the social issues raised have legitimacy, the violent tactics the Maoists employ are universally condemned by the Nepali people. The Maoists must respect human rights and stop the abuse of civilians through abduction, extortion and violence. The underlying social issues driving the Maoist movement should be addressed by a democratic government and the Maoists themselves must renounce violence and take their ideas to the mainstream of politics where they can be judged by the Nepali people in free elections.

The people of Nepal, with the support of the international community should demand that all parties to this impasse make democracy and peace their most urgent priority. America firmly supports a restoration of democracy in Nepal. And I urge the king to return immediately to constitutional democratic principles. A return to Panchayat-style governance is unacceptable and will only lead to more difficulties for both the nation and the monarchy in the future. The restoration of democracy in Nepal is the only way to achieve progress and peace. The people of the United States and other friends in the international community stand ready and willing to help in this critical effort.

In The News

• NC-D to launch political fight against Royal Commission Kantipur ... would work together with the seven-party alliance to fight against the Royal Commission for Corruption Control..... A meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee .... Most of the leaders opined that they need to launch a political fight and move the Supreme Court against the commission. .... the decision on the issue would be made public only after the legal consultations.
• Prachanda welcomes seven-party statement Kantipur “The statement of seven political parties is a step forward in building political consensus,” Prachanda said ..... said that his party had already issued directives to its cadres at all the levels to cooperate with the local activists of agitating political parties..... his party also expected the political parties to issue directives of a same kind to their local level activists......
  
• Army requests civilians not to kill Maoists Kantipur ... the incidents of death of some Maoists at the hands of the civilians, who came out in retaliation against their excesses.... villagers in Dhading and Makwanpur districts killed seven Maoists a few days ago.... “It would be proper for the civilians to hand over such criminals to the security forces for legal action instead of taking law in one’s own hand”
• Students’ detention extended by a week Kantipur .... Kathmandu District Administration Office Monday slapped another week-long detention on the six students who were arrested on July 14 under the Public Offence Act...... the second time the authorities have extended their detention period....Pradeep Poudel, vice president of Nepal Students’ Union, Thakur Gaire, Saroj Thapa, Narayan Bharti, B.P. Regmi and Puspa Shah
• ‘Parties should be strong’ Kantipur .... Krishna Pahadi said that civil society members urged Daschle to get into the root causes of political instability and the Maoist conflict
• ‘Silence of int'l community misunderstood' Kantipur .... "What they (rulers) don't understand is this is not silence but isolation," said Dixit while speaking at a talk program in New York, Sunday. "If there is no major breakthrough soon, this isolation could be fatal.".... despite the severe pressure on the Nepali media, leading newspapers, in particular, have gone to the edge in criticizing the government.....by banning news on FMs, the government itself is forcing people to listen to clandestine radios run by Maoists since it has no control over the rebels' radio
• Speaker’s stand puts CJ appointment in limbo Kantipur Constitutional Council (CC) has hit a virtual deadlock with the Speaker of the House of Representatives refusing to attend a CC meeting to recommend a name for the next chief justice (CJ) citing the absence of a sitting prime minister, who constitutionally chairs the meeting...... Speaker Taranath Ranabhat ..... the government's suggestion that the CJ could chair the CC in the absence of a prime minister. .... the government had suggested invoking either Article 127 of the constitution or preparing working procedure of the CC under Article 117 (3) and (4).... The top judicial post becomes vacant on July 29 when the CJ Hari Prasad Sharma, retires on grounds of age..... the Speaker's stance has heightened the possibility of the king invoking Article 127 to give authority to the incumbent chief justice to call and head the CC meeting
• ‘House’ asks parties to hold talks with rebels Kantipur ..... A joint meeting of Upper House members and members of the dissolved House of Representatives, on Tuesday, asked the seven political parties to take initiatives for a dialogue with Maoists, while also urging the rebels to create a conducive atmosphere..... "Dialogue is the only way to resolve the Maoist problem and political parties have the capacity to do so" ..... a separate ten-point resolution...... condemned the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) for its political witch-hunt .... denounced the finance ordinance made public by the government in the form of "budget", civil service ordinance and the ordinance related to NGOs' activities...... extended support to the protest programs initiated by professional organizations, lawyers, journalists and members of civil society. They condemned the government's "harassment" of journalists...... said they were forced to stand against monarchy as the monarch was trying to project monarchy as an alternative to democracy....... "Our absolute democracy is a step close to the republic" ..... the parties would bring Maoists to the peace process come what may. .... Nepal warned that parties have arrived at a position to consider even the abolition of monarchy...... the king had failed in every front during his direct rule...... Bharat Bimal Yadav, vice-chairman of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (A) claimed he was informed about a secret plot of the palace to impose a ban on political parties by December....... Bharat Bimal Yadav, vice-chairman of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (A) claimed he was informed about a secret plot of the palace to impose a ban on political parties by December.
• Former US senator calls for Nepal democracy Reuters AlertNet, UK
• Daschle Presses Nepal King on Democracy Newsday
• Nepal king under fire over coup BBC News
• Former US senator calls for Nepal democracy Boston Globe, United States
• Daschle presses Nepal king on democracy San Jose Mercury News, United States
• Daschle Presses Nepal King on Democracy Los Angeles Times, CA
• Daschle presses Nepal king on democracy News & Observer, NC
• Daschle Presses Nepal King on Democracy The Ledger, FL
• US concerned over lack of progress in Nepal reconciliation Japan Today, Japan "Our concern is to see the process of reconciliation between the king and the political parties. We have not seen much progress at all," Moriarty said

UN Security Council Needs To Enforce Human Rights On A War Footing

For the longest time the UN Security Concil has been my least liked aspect of the UN, a body I have tremendous respect for, primarily because of the existence of this thing called veto power. It is like the UNSC is King Mahendra, and the rest in the General Assembly are the powerless but numerous civilian politicians.

But the UNSC recent work on Human Rights brings some hope.

Respect for Human Righs has to be universal. No compromise can be made on that. Confrontation and humiliation are legitimate weapons to use. And, might I add, not entirely enough.

Human Rights are not ideology: they are basic. They are fundamental, elementary. They are starting points for human discourse. Culprit regimes need to be named and shamed and more. Gradually the enforcement mechanisms have to be made stronger. People anywhere on the planet should know should their human righs be violated, either by dictatorial regimes in power, or by "entrepreneurial" armed rebel groups, or private armies, or by warlords and their thugs, regardless of the underlying social, political, ethnic, religious and economic conflicts, the global community will not sit and watch. That safety net has to be put in place.

The concept of sovereignty and "internal matters" becomes moot at that point. The global body can intervene to find facts, and to stop the excesses, with immediate and total effects.

I hope the recent found zeal is but a starting point, and not a momentary hicuup.

Human Rights violations are never "private" and "internal" issues, any more than child and spouse abuse are, any more than violent crime is.

If the people in the far flung corners of the planet can not feel the UN's presence on this fundamental issue, does the rest matter?

Finally, finally, finally looks like the bad guys are about to meet their match.

In The News

• UN Votes To Monitor Child Soldiers, Abuses In War RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Czech Republic ..... The UN Security Council adopted a resolution today to monitor nations or rebel groups that kill, maim, or sexually abuse children in war zones or recruit them as soldiers..... The resolution reaffirms earlier commitments that the council will consider imposing targeted sanctions, such as a ban on arms exports and imports, against parties that violate international law on the rights and protection of children in armed conflict...... UN figures show that, during the last decade, 2 million children have been killed during armed conflicts and another 6 million have been disabled or injured. ...... Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Sudan. Next year, the monitoring will expand to Colombia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Uganda.
• King to lead team to UN's Sept meet Himalayan Times, Nepal September 14-16 in New York
• Session sees shrill rhetoric by 7-party front Himalayan Times, Nepal ... Koirala today said total democracy is a borderline between constitutional monarchy and a republican order .... stern warning came amid claims that efforts are underway to supersede the constitution ..... billed the action against NC (D) President Sher Bahadur Deuba as panic reaction ....... Madhav Kumar Nepal .... We need to be bold now. People are pushing us towards such a stage where the King is unwanted ..... Leelamani Pokharel said the government can declare the political parties as terrorist outfits even as he warned that people could switch over to the demand for a republican set-up if the King does not listen...... Narayan Man Bijukche of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) said talks must be held with the Maoists, NC (D) President Gopal Man Shrestha said, Things were not good for the King. He may have to pay for the misdeeds. Nepal Sadbhavana Party leader Bharat Bimal Yadav said political parties may be banned and the current constitution superseded in the near future. We will be ruined if we do not do enough
• Economic and Social Council acts on wide range of human rights ... UN News Centre .... guidelines on victims’ rights to a remedy and reparation for gross human rights violations, as well as the creation of a working group to probe the use of mercenaries to derail human rights....... some 43 texts. ..... a vote of 43 in favour and none against, with 5 abstentions ..... Among country-specific decisions, texts were adopted relating to Myanmar, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Belarus, Sudan, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Nepal, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Afghanistan and Haiti....... sought to exert political pressure on developing countries through confrontation and humiliation
• Security Council establishes first comprehensive monitoring ... ReliefWeb (press release), Switzerland .... a major and groundbreaking development, the UN Security Council today voted unanimously for a series of measures, including the establishment of a comprehensive monitoring and reporting mechanism, to ensure the protection of children exposed to armed conflict...... monitor grave violations by all parties, both governments and insurgents, focusing particularly on: killing or maiming of children; recruiting or using child soldiers; attacks against schools or hospitals; rape or other sexual violence against children; abduction of children; and denial of humanitarian access for children....... endorsed the continued naming and listing of all offending parties, both insurgents and governments...... the Council ordered offending parties which have already been listed, to prepare and implement right away, concrete action plans and timelines...... several months of intensive negotiations on a package ...... For the first time, the UN is establishing a formal, structured and detailed compliance regime....... United Nations-led task forces will be established in phases, ultimately covering all conflict situations of concern, to monitor the conduct of all parties, and to transmit regular reports to a central task force based at United Nations Headquarters in New York. These reports will serve as triggers for action against the offending parties...... The latest report lists 54 offending parties, governments, as well as insurgents, drawn from 11 situations of conflict. These included: the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) from Sri Lanka; Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) from Colombia; Janjaweed from the Sudan; the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) from Nepal; Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from Uganda; Karen National Liberation Army from Myanmar; and government forces from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Uganda........ measures might include travel restrictions on leaders, and their exclusion from any governance structures and amnesty provisions, the imposition of arms embargoes, a ban on military assistance, and restriction on the flow of financial resources to the parties concerned....... Today, as never before, we have the necessary norms, institutions, and means ....... In the last decade, 2 million children have been killed in situations of armed conflict, while 6 million children have been disabled or injured. Over a quarter of a million child soldiers are being abused and exploited today in situations of armed conflict around the globe. Since 2003, over 11 million children have been displaced within their own countries, and 2.4 million children were forced to flee conflict and take refuge outside their home countries. Abductions are becoming more widespread, as witnessed, for example, in Darfur, northern Uganda, Nepal and Burundi. Thousands of children, particularly girls, are subjected to rape and other sexual abuses in situations of conflict. Landmines kill or maim 8,000 to 10,000 children every year...... promoting standards and measures for their protection in times of war, as well as their healing and social reintegration in the aftermath of conflict.
• The Secretary General's Report , Full Report
  
• Former PM of Nepal fights jail term for corruption Scotsman, United Kingdom "There is no basis for this case. This is political assassination. We will fight it politically," Deuba said as he was taken back to the prison after the verdict. He has been in custody since April.
• Maoists shut down tea estates in Eastern Nepal Kantipur Online, Nepal 45, 000 workers jobless .... Chief District Officer of Ilam Bijayaraj Poudel said that only three tea estates were closed in the district..... In Jhapa, Chief District Officer Prem Narayan Shah said that workers and proprietors have agreed to open the factories.
• Maoists close down eastern tea estates Kathmandu Post At a time when tea workers should be busy collecting green tea leaves, all government and private tea estates and factories in Ilam and Jhapa districts in east Nepal, have been shut down since Monday, following Maoist threats..... 15,000 workers have been rendered jobless while thousands of kilograms of green leaves, which used to be supplied to the factories daily, is on the verge of going waste..... Increase in salary, other perks and facilities of the workers, immediate release of workers who were detained on charges of being Maoists, are among the 15-point demand put forward by the ANTUF.
  
• Nepal's former Parliamentarians condemn Commission's verdict Outlook (subscription) former parliamentarians today condemned as "politically biased" and "unconstitutional" the anti-graft commission's verdict ..... The meeting of ex-Parliamentarians or the "Third Parliament" unanimously passed a resolution terming the commission's decision sentencing Deuba to two years in prison and imposing a fine of Rs 5.5 crore as "politically biased" and "unconstitutional".....
• Indian police nabs Maoist commander Kantipur arrested an injured Maoist commander at Barahi village of Madhubani district in Bihar .... Swarnim Lama, 24, hailing from Solukhumbu..... section commander of the Maoists and that he was injured during clashes in Udayapur two months ago.... at a nursing home in Darbhanga
• Maoists hurl bombs at public gathering; 16 injured Kantipur Maoists hurled socket bombs at a public gathering in Doti district ..... The Maoists themselves had forced the locals for the gathering ..... The incident occurred after locals tried to rescue a person who was being beaten by the Maoists...... The locals during confrontation nabbed four Maoists and were handed over to the security forces at the district headquarters..... at least 150 locals have reached district headquarters after fear of reprisal by the Maoists in the village