United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on Saturday assured Nepal continued support in the peace process. Addressing the media at the end of his hectic schedule during his 22-hour long stay in Nepal, the Secretary General assured his personal support and that of the entire UN system. “As we do our part, I encourage you to do yours,” he said. However, he failed to secure a convincing commitment from the Government regarding the extension of the United Nations Mission to Nepal (UNMIN) beyond the expiry of its current term on January 23.

Ban expressed his hope that the tenure of the UNMIN would be extended, but said that the UN was willing to extend its cooperation even if the UNMIN was downsized or scrapped. He said that the political parties and the Government together must make the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist army combatants a success.

Despite Ban's concerns, fissures within the political spectrum are still very distinct and delineated.

Former PM and Nepali Congress leader G P Koirala made his displeasure with the UNMIN and the Secretary General's special representative Ian Martin clear when he chose to meet Ban alone at his residence.

Koirala is believed to have told him that there was no question of the Nepali Congress joining the special committee on integration so long as the Maoists had advantage of numbers in it. But Ban urged Koirala to take the peace process that he had initiated to its logical end.