Nepal peace talks 'next week'

By Navin Khadka
BBC reporter in Kathmandu

Maoists agreed to resume talks after rebel leaders were freed

Peace talks with Maoist rebels in Nepal will resume next week, the government says.

The two sides have agreed to hold a third round of negotiations, postponed since May, but have not set an exact date or venue, Information Minister Kamal Thapa told the BBC.

The Maoists agreed to return to talks last Thursday after a series of government concessions.

But there have been frequent skirmishes between security forces and the rebels since then.

Ceasefire

In the latest incident, a rebel landmine killed three security personnel in eastern Paanchthar district on Tuesday, the authorities said.

Both sides accuse each other of violating the code of conduct they drew up to accompany a ceasefire agreed in January.

Talks are aimed at ending seven years of conflict which have claimed more than 7,000 lives.