Government negotiator and Agriculture Minister Mahesh Acharya told a public meeting in east Nepal Monday the fourth round of talks between the government and Maoists  will be held sometime after Thursday. He did not disclose the date or the venue of the talks.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba told another meeting in Banepa Monday he expected the next round of peace talks with the rebels will be “conclusive and fruitful.”
”Government is committed to resolve the Maoist issue through talks,” he said.

Even as Maoist strongman Pushpa Kamal Dahal reiterated a rebel demand Monday for elections to a constitution assembly to draft a new constitution, President of the ruling Nepali Congress party and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala totally rejected the rebel demand.

Koirala urged Deuba’s government to adopt a stiff stance on the rebel demand. The party has described the rebels as terrorists although the government has hesitated, he said in east Nepal. He asked the government to set a time frame for the negotiations and end it early.

Maoists and government have been trading accusations for breaking conditionalities of the July cease-fire that prompted the peace negotiations.