Sitaula to lead Govt's team at talks with Maoists

Kathmandu, May 25 (UNI) The Nepalese government has formed a three-member team under the convenorship of Home Minister Krishna Sitaula to hold talks with the Maoist rebels.

Other members in the team include Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture Pradip Gyawali (CPN-UML) and Minister of State for Labour and Transport Management Ramesh Lekhak (Nepali Congress Democratic). Mr Sitaula represents Nepali Congress.

The Maoists' three-member team -- led by spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara -- is already in the Capital for dialogue with the government.

These teams will create conducive environment for the dialogue and a high level team of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoists chairman Prachanda will finalise the agreement, it is said.

The seven-party political alliance and the Maoists had agreed to end autocratic rule of the King and go for constituent assembly election -- main demands of the rebels -- to resolve over ten-year-long insurgency, which has claimed over 13,000 lives.

Recently reinstated parliament has unanimously passed a resolution to hold election of the constituent assembly.

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