Concerned about the deteriorating situation in Nepal, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has dispatched his special adviser Lakhdar Brahimi to visit the Himalayan Kingdom in an effort to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the royal government and the Maoists.
Brahimi is expected to meet with King Gyanendra, senior government officials, leaders of political parties and a cross-section of representatives of Nepalese society during his 10-15 visit.
In April, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and Nepal Government signed an agreement to set up a monitoring operation to help establish accountability for human rights abuses and prevent further violations by all sides in the nine-year-old armed conflict.
Two UN teams visited the country that month, looking into the needs of an expanded UN rights office there and examining the situation of internally displaced persons.
The Maoist have been involved in a guerilla war with government troops in Nepal since 1996.