Nepal Maoists pledge to extend ceasefire

Maoist rebels in Nepal said they would extend their three-month ceasefire to facilitate the peace process before it expires this week.

Maoist rebels in Nepal on Monday said they would extend their three-month ceasefire to facilitate the peace process before it expires this week.

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"We will definitely extend the ceasefire to facilitate the peace process before it expires on Thursday," Maoist negotiator Dinanath Sharma said.

"In order to take forward the ongoing peace process, we have to extend the ceasefire," he said.

The rebels had declared the three-month truce on April 27, soon after King Gyanendra reinstated the House of Representatives and returned power to the Seven Party Alliance which led the movement to restore democracy and civil rights.

The government reciprocated the Maoists' truce and began talks with the rebels to end the 10-year-long conflict in Nepal that has claimed 13,000 lives so far.

The SPA had reached a 12-point understanding with the Maoists before launching anti-King stir and signed an eight-point agreement on June 16.