A senior government minister Thursday publicly asked Maoists to call off a public meeting in the capital scheduled for September 21 coinciding with the second round of talks between the government and rebels to end a communist insurgency that has claimed more than 1,800 lives in nearly six years.

The second phase of the talks began Thursday at a jungle lodge in Bardia 500 kms southwest of the capital a fortnight after preliminary probing parleys in Kathmandu Valley, Minister for Communications Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta said.

“We are confident, optimistic and positive about the talks moving ahead positively,” government spokesman Gupta told reporters. But he asked rebels to call off the proposed mass meeting in the capital where Maoists have said they will gather 200,000 people for the public meeting.

Amid government fears of violence, Maoist strongman Prachanda assured the rally will be peaceful. “Elements against peace talks might try to disrupt the meeting,” Gupta said justifying his call. “I am confident the Maoists will reconsider their plans.”

Altogether 206 acts of violence, including extortion, rape, beatings and other forms of force were committed by rebels between July 23 and August 8 after the two sides declared a truce to end the insurgency, Gupta said.

Gupta made strong and forceful accusations against Maoists as the second round of talks got underway indicating a tough government stance against the rebels.

Minister for Physical Planning Chiranjivi Wagle and Maoist politburo member Krishna Bahadur Mehara head the same teams to the second parleys.

Government rejected a rebel proposal to hold the second phase of the talks in the Maoist heartland of Rolpa in the hills but finally settled to sit across the table at Bardia which is also a communist stronghold along the Nepal India border. Tigers prowl in the jungle as soldiers provide strict security.

Several members in parliament Wednesday objected to the reported Indian deployment of an additional 70,000 paramilitary forces along the 1,700 kms open Nepal India border recently.

Nepali newspapers reported the forces have been deployed quoting local Indian officials across the border. The two governments have not made commented officially.

The deployment comes as former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala recently accused Indian of harbouring increasingly belligerent Maoists across the border. Indian charges that Nepal is being used as a base by Pakistan to destabilize India– a charge denied by Nepal.