Nepal: Maoists ready to lay down arms

Nepal's Maoist rebels are ready to manage their weapons under United Nations supervision, a senior Maoist leader has said.

The government, meanwhile, has promised to bear the expenses of some 10,000 cadres once they disarm.

Dinanath Sharma, a member of the rebel peace talks team, said, "if the management of weapons is the only hurdle on talks, I don't think that the peace process would break."

He assured that the outfit will lay down the arms before joining an interim government that would hold the Constitutional Assembly polls.

"The eight-point agreement reached between Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist chief Prachanda was historic and remarkable," he said.

Meanwhile, Nepal Home Minister and the government's chief negotiator Krishna Sitoula said the government and Maoists have agreed to send a letter to the UN for arms monitoring.

He also said the government can bear the expenses of the Maoists' more than 10,000 strong 'People's Liberation Army' during arms monitoring by the UN.

"We are preparing to send a request to the UN for arms monitoring and after that government can consider feeding the Maoists in barracks," he said in Pokhara on Wednesday.