By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU, May 1 (Reuters) The United Nations today rejected conditions set by Nepal's Maoists to allow the world body to check for the presence of child soldiers in their ranks, saying the terms violated a landmark peace pact.

U N monitors had planned to begin a verification of Maoist combatants today to identify any child soldiers or recruits who were enlisted after a peace process began last year in an attempt to inflate the strength of the former rebels.

But the Maoists have said they will not allow the process to begin until conditions at camps housing combatants disarmed earlier were improved and the interim government paid a monthly remuneration to the fighters.

Although conditions at the camps, such as the quality of shelters, sanitation and access to water and electricity were poor, the Maoists had unconditionally agreed to allow verification, U N envoy Ian Martin told reporters.

''We can't accept the tying of the beginning of verification to any other conditions,'' said Martin, Special Representative of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

''I regret that we have not been able to begin the process of verification, the second stage of registration, as we should have done by now,'' he said.

Verification of the fighters is a crucial part of the peace process, which hopes to bring the guerrillas back into the mainstream and ensure free and fair elections to a constituent assembly that will decide Nepal's political future.

Under the peace deal signed in November, about 31,000 former guerrillas are housed in 28 U N monitored camps. They have also locked up nearly 3,500 weapons in U N monitored containers.

The government says it has already provided 12 million dollars to the Maoists to run the camps but the former rebels say the amount is not sufficient.

They are also unhappy with a delay in holding the constituent assembly vote and have demanded the Himalayan nation be declared a republic this month if elections cannot be held in June as earlier planned.

The constituent assembly is meant to draft a new constitution and decide the fate of Nepal's monarchy, which the Maoists want abolished.

''In my opinion, postponement should not be viewed as a disaster,'' Martin said of the vote. ''But neither is it a guarantee of success at a later date.'' REUTERS KD HT1710