December 15, 2001

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba told newsmen Friday there will be no fresh peace talks with Maoists until they surrender their weapons. “The terrorists must first surrender the arms in their possession, including the looted ones, money they have robbed from different banks and goods they have snatched from their rightful owners before contemplating talks,”‘ he reportedly said.

He denied there were ongoing secret negotiations with the rebels to end a six year bloody communist insurgency. “Let them  enter the political mainstream, fight elections and win a popular vote, if they can, and make whatever constitutional changes they want to make,” he reportedly said.

Rebels broke peace talks with the government on November 23 and resumed hostilities. The action prompted the government to declare the underground outfit a terrorist organization and slap a nation-wide state of emergency.