UN Secretary General Kofi Annan “remains at the disposal of Nepal to assist the achievement of a negotiated peaceful solution between the Government and Maoists, the UN Information Center in Nepal said Thursday.

“While a ceasefire that came into effect in January of this year has been holding and the sides have engaged in a series of formal and informal discussions, the process faced serious obstacles in the recent weeks and has reached a critical state,” Annan said in a statement in New York Wednesday.

The UN Chief has “welcomed the continued expression by the Government and the Maoist group of their commitment to a peaceful solution and has appreciated the intense efforts that are ongoing at present to overcome the hurdles,” Annan said.

He was “following with keen interest the peace process in Nepal,” the UN said.