Nepal names negotiator for talks with Maoists

The multi-party government, formed after King Gyanendra bowed to massive protests and handed power back to political parties, has appointed Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula to head a three-member team, he said.

"Other members of the team will be named soon," Works and Physical Planning Minister Gopal Man Shrestha told Reuters.

"There will also be a separate multi-party party team to assist the government negotiators," he said.

The Maoists, who have been fighting to topple the monarchy and set up a communist state in Nepal, have named their spokesman, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, for the preparatory talks.

Officials said the meeting, the first in nearly three years, would begin soon.

"These will be only preliminary talks," Shrestha said. "There will be a higher-level team headed by the prime minister for the talks with Prachanda."

Early this month the government matched a rebel ceasefire and the two sides agreed to meet.

Preparations are also going ahead to hold elections for an assembly to draft a new constitution and decide the future of the monarchy.

This week, the parliament reinstated by Gyanendra stripped him of various powers and took away his control over the army.

The administration is now called the Nepal government instead of "His Majesty's Government", and the army's "Royal" tag has been dropped.