Maoists talking with NA over army integration, says FM Bhattarai
Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Thursday, said that his party Maoists – which leads the current coalition government – is in talks with Nepali Army (NA) over the issue of army integration.
The Kantipur television reported him as claiming that such talks were proceeding positively.
Talking to reporters in Pokhara, Battarai said that Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA) would soon be integrated with the NA.
He added that a special committee would be formed soon to oversee the army integration process.
The Maoist ideologue's remarks follow Defense Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa's statement that the integration would take place within six months, and they come at a time when other major political parties like Nepali Congress and UML have opposed the a merger plan.
Defense experts are also calling army integration a rather tricky issue.
They say that though Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and even United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) chief Ian Martin are saying that the integration of the two armies is possible, it is a complicated process given the fact that Maoist PLA and Nepal Army were arch enemies during the insurgency period which ended just two and half years ago. nepalnews.com ag Sep 30 08
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