"The bodyguards of two Maoist parliamentarians were prevented by police from entering parliament after they found the two men were carrying Chinese-made pistols," said Baman Prasad Neupane.

He said the bodyguards were not detained, but declined to give further information.

Under a peace deal signed late last year, Nepal's Maoists have been given 83 seats in a new 330-seat interim parliament, but have not yet been given any cabinet positions.

As part of the landmark peace pact, the rebels have agreed to place their weapons and army under United Nations monitoring.

Initial registration of Maoist weapons and soldiers is expected to be completed by the weekend.

As part of the peace deal, the rebels are allowed to keep some of their weapons for the protection of Maoist VIPs.

At least 13,000 people were killed in the Maoist "people's war" that began in western Nepal in 1996.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said yesterday it expects to finish the first phase of registering thousands of Nepal's Maoist guerrillas this weekend under a peace deal that will see the former rebels join the government.

The rebels, who waged a 10-year civil war that cost 13,000 lives, agreed to UN monitoring of its fighters and arms as part of the deal, which has given them more than 80 seats in the new 330-seat interim government's parliament.

"We aim to complete the registration process and lock up our weapons in the containers by Friday," said Shantu Darai, a Maoist commander.

"It's possible it may be Saturday," Ian Martin, the head of the UN mission in Nepal, told AFP.

He said the number of weapons and soldiers registered in this first phase would only be revealed after the UN had consulted with the rebels and government.

The second phase of UN registration will involve verification that the registered soldiers are over 18. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly accused the rebels of recruiting children.