Kathmandu, December 4:

The inability to have UN involvement in arms management has thrown the transition schedule haywire with December 1, the day which was supposed to see the formation of an interim government, gone.

However, rather than considering UN as somehow responsible for the delay, leaders of the seven-party alliance are of the view that things have refused to move ahead “despite hard work by government.” “Partly it is the UN. Next, of course, is the fact that the rebels have not finalised cantonments. They said they will do it in 10 days but have not done so,” said NC General Secretary Ram Chandra Paudel.

NC (D) spokesman Dr Minendra Rijal, however, said: “I don’t want to blame anyone for the delay in promulgation of an interim statute. Nor do I blame any one else for the delayed commencement of arms management. The problem is an over-optimistic transition schedule.” He said the alliance leadership was “carried away” when it agreed to a schedule under which the nation would have entered an interim phase by November 26.