'Nepali Maoists ready to accept democracy'

Nepal's Maoist rebels are ready to accept multiparty democracy, stop terrorising civilians and return to the political mainstream of the revolt-torn country, a top Nepali politician said yesterday.

"We held talks with them about two weeks ago in Nepal," Madhav Kumar Nepal, a former deputy prime minister and head of the Communist Party of Nepal-UML, told Reuters during a visit to the Indian capital for medical treatment.

"They have given a positive response to the three points we raised: accept multiparty democracy, stop terrorising and killing innocent people, accept the democratic process and return to the political mainstream," he said.

The United Nations and donor agencies have condemned new rules imposed by Nepal that they say restrict their freedom and and represent "undue political interference".

Nepal, where King Gyanendra seized power in February, introduced the "Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Code of Conduct" last week in the Himalayan nation, which is racked by a deadly Maoist conflict.

The code orders non-governmental groups to coordinate their activities with the government but the NGOs say the new rules severely restrict their ability to function effectively.

"The Code of Conduct is not conducive either to improving NGO governance or to fostering NGO endeavours," UN Resident Coordinator, Matthew Kahane, said Thursday in an appeal on behalf of Nepal's donor community to scrap the rules.