Nepal: Ex-fighter monitoring agreement reached

NEPAL'S government and the former communist rebels have reached an agreement on monitoring thousands of ex-fighters after the United Nations leaves this weekend.

Peace minister Rakam Chemjong said an agreement was reached between prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

The Maoists agreed to a proposal that a special committee headed by the prime minister would take over the task. The UN has been monitoring the peace process and the thousands of former combatants and their weapons.

The UN ended its peace mission at midnight on Friday and removed its arms monitors in seven camps where former Maoist fighters live.

Chemjong said 64 arms monitors picked from the national army, police, the armed police force and the Maoists would now watch the camps. The UN peace mission that started in January 2007 was initially set up for a year but extended several times.