Nepal's Maoists warn government

Maoists say the government should act in good faith

The leader of Maoist rebels in Nepal has warned they will abandon a recent ceasefire agreement if there are any signs of bad faith from the government.

Maoist leader Prachanda made the comments in a statement to mark the seventh anniversary of their insurgency against the monarchy.

We have managed to create a very friendly environment and friendly atmosphere

Narayan Singh Pun
Government negotiator

But he said they were committed to finding a peaceful resolution through dialogue with the government.

The rebels and the government agreed last month to a ceasefire and are planning peace talks to end the hostilities, which have killed more than 7,000 people.

Taking it seriously

Prachanda said: "If there are any indications of deception or conspiracy against us we would break off the ceasefire and resume decisive war at any point."

He argued that the Maoists had taken the peace process seriously and that they intend to work towards its success.

Most Maoists hope the ceasefire will last

The Nepalese Government says it is likely to take a long time for the talks to get started because preparations are necessary to ensure their success.

But chief government negotiator Narayan Singh Pun says progress is slowly being made.

"At the moment we're not talking as adversaries. We have managed to create a very friendly environment and friendly atmosphere," Mr Pun told the BBC.

Negotiator named

But he added: "It's just that the situation is so complex and there are so many issues to be handled."

The Maoists have named rebel leader, Babu Ram Bhattarai, as head of the five-member team for the talks and Mr Pun said he was in informal contact with the rebel negotiators.

During the last peace talks in 2001, rebel negotiators and government ministers met three times

The rebels eventually withdrew after accusing the government of failing to listen to them and being rigid during negotiations.