Nepal says no to rebel demands, talks on

‘‘The demands raised by the Maoists can be addressed by amending the existing constitution and the government is ready to discuss with an open mind all possibilities,’’ chief government negotiator Prakash Chandra Lohani said.

The Maoists said the government proposal was ‘‘quite disappointing’’ and lacked sincerity. ‘‘It is very unlikely the talks will lead to any fruitful end,’’ chief rebel negotiator Babu Ram Bhattarai said.

The rebels’ key political demand is for an interim government to oversee elections for an Assembly to draft a new constitution to define the king’s role. But the government wants elections to a new parliament, which the rebels oppose.

Both sides said they would continue talks and the second round is expected to begin on Sunday and may go on for days before a deal is hammered out, negotiators say. —Reuters