Rajbiraj, December 15:

Advisor to the Swiss Foreign Ministry Marx 164.512 today said that unless the Madhes unrest was resolved, the peace process in Nepal would not be able to move forward.

Speaking at a one-day seminar on “Peace process and federal structure” here, Heineigger warned that if the Madhes unrest was not resolved, there would be little likelihood of holding constituent assembly polls.

Pointing out that 43 of the 52 issues were resolved through dialogue for bringing about world peace, he said that the dialogue process could be applicable in the Nepali context, too.

Heineigger also urged the government of Nepal to rope in the support of the international community for sustainable peace in the country.

Heineigger, who served as peace facilitator in Sri Lanka for a long time, said the Madhes unrest started because the seven parties did not take the issues of the Madhes seriously even after their comprehensive peace treaty with the Maoists. He added a national consensus was not emerging as the Madhesis who ought to be brought into the national mainstream were being sidelined.

Speaking on the occasion, Saptari district judge Mohan Raman Bhattarai said that the country would stand to benefit from a federal structure only if mutual confidence among all the stakeholders remained.

“Only consensus can help government to run the country smoothly,” he added.

Central member of the Nepal Teachers’ Union Vijayanand Jha pointed out that more than the conflict between Pahade and Madhesi, the Madhes unrest was a result of Madhesis’ struggle for identity and rights.

Central president of the Madhesi Legal Professionals’ Society Ashok Kumar Chaudhary said that the government and the seven parties were reluctant to develop a positive view of the Madhes and the people there.

Madhesi Janadhikar Forum founding vice-president Dr Mahanand Thakur urged the government to call the Madhesi armed groups to the dialogue table and create an atmosphere for holding CA polls.

Local journalist Bishnu Kumar mandal said that the government’s claims of giving rights to the people in the Madhes were confined to the media only. Unless these claims are implemented, the Madhes unrest would not be solved, he added. The programme was chaired by Partnership Nepal president Awadhesh Kumar Singh.