Nepal seeks UN support in peace process with Maoists

Nepal has sent a letter to the UN asking it to support the country's peace process aimed at ending civil war with communist insurgents.

Nepal has sent a letter to the United Nations asking it to support the country's peace process aimed at ending civil war with communist insurgents, the UN said in a statement on Thursday.

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The letter, received earlier this week from Nepal's government, was sent to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the statement issued in Nepal said.

Details of the letter were not released, but both the government and the Maoist rebels agreed last month to allow the army and the guerrilla fighters to be placed under UN supervision.

The decision was reached during a June 16 meeting between Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koira and rebel leader Prachanda, who goes by only one name.

The rebels declared a ceasefire and entered peace talks in April as a new government took office in the wake of weeks of protests that forced King Gyanendra to give up his authoritarian rule.

A key demand of the rebels has been the dissolution of Nepal's constitutional monarchy.

The next round of peace talks scheduled for this week has been delayed after Koirala was hospitalised with possible pneumonia.