US tells Nepal rebels to disarm

There have been a number of bombings in the capital

By Sushil Sharma BBC reporter in Kathmandu

A senior United States official has urged Maoist rebels in Nepal to enter peace talks aimed at ending their long-running insurgency.

The Maoists have not been put internationally on any terrorist list - this step may be taken into consideration if violence continues

Christina Rocca, US State Dept

Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca stressed the rebels must lay down arms and end violence to clear the way for dialogue.

She is currently in Nepal to discuss how the US can help the government tackle the rebellion.

Ms Rocca is heading for Pakistan where she will hold talks on Monday.

Speaking to newspaper editors on the third day of her visit to Nepal, Ms Rocca condemned the Maoists who, she said, had been targeting innocent civilians.

She said the US had been holding dialogue with a number of countries, including Nepal's neighbour India, on establishing peace in the kingdom.

She did not elaborate.

Military help

Ms Rocca also urged Nepal's political parties to unite against the rebels.

The army was deployed a year ago

The parties are divided on how to respond to the threat to multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy.

Ms Rocca pledged continued US assistance to fight the rebels.

She said help would include military equipment, training and development aid.

She is the most senior US official to visit Nepal since an unprecedented trip by Secretary of State Colin Powell earlier this year.

Embassy security

During his visit Mr Powell promised $20m to help the government, which calls the Maoists terrorists and has launched a military offensive to crush them.

There has, however, been an upsurge in Maoist violence including a series of minor bomb blasts in the capital, Kathmandu, in recent months.

The rebels have also killed two Nepali security guards at the US embassy in Kathmandu over the past year.

Seven thousand people have died since the rebels took up arms in 1996 to replace the monarchy with a communist republic.

The Maoists say America is an imperialist power and accuse it of backing what they say is a reactionary regime in Nepal.