Nepal rebels say close to deal on arms with govt

KATHMANDU, Nov 5 (Reuters) Nepal's Maoist rebels are close to a deal with the government over supervision of their weapons, a rebel spokesman said today, raising hopes of salvaging a faltering peace process.

''We have almost reached an agreement with the government to lock up our weapons under the United Nations supervision,'' Krishna Bahadur Mahara told Reuters.

He said the arrangement would also apply to an equal number of weapons held by the country's army. Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Peace talks between Maoist rebels and Nepal's interim government, formed soon after King Gyanendra handed power back to political parties in April, have hinged on the rebels' insistence that they would not disarm before next year's planned elections for a constituent assembly.

Mahara also said Maoist chief Prachanda informally met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today. The two were joined by Ian Martin, personal representative of the UN Secretary General to assist in the Nepal peace process.

Mahara's comments confirmed earlier media reports quoting Prachanda as telling party activists that the rebels would keep their weapons in temporary camps.

''A bell will ring if anybody tried to unlock it and the United Nations will supervise the weapons inside the barrack,'' a news Web site, www.himalayantimes.com, said, quoting Prachanda as saying near the western resort town of Pokhara, 125 km west of Nepal's capital Kathmandu.

He did not elaborate on the exact mechanism.

The Maoists, fighting Nepal's monarchy since 1996, and the multi-party government formed after King Gyanendra relinquished power, agreed to a ceasefire and began peace talks in May.

The government agreed to include the rebels in an interim cabinet to oversee elections for the constituent assembly which would write a new constitution for Nepal.

The vote had long been a key rebel demand to end their decade-old insurgency in which more than 13,000 people have died.

But before this, the government wants the rebels to disarm and keep their weapons under UN supervision.

The Maoists, however, have been resisting this so far.

REUTERS AKJ BD2114