
Nepal8217;s Prime Minister G P Koirala and Maoist chief Prachanda met on Thursday as a UN team led by the Secretary General8217;s special representative, Saffan De Mistura, arrived to work out a possible UN role in the peace process.
A source close to Koirala said that the Prime Minister did not agree to Prachanda8217;s demand of dissolving the Parliament and of Maoists joining an interim government without laying down their arms.
Koirala had invited the UN to assist in the 8216;decommissioning8217; of Maoist arms but Prachanda has refused to subject his guerrilla outfit to a one-sided 8216;decommissioning8217;, saying he would insist on 8216;8216;management of arms and armies of both sides.8217;8217;
On arriving in the region Mistura said that the UN would engage only in matters agreed on by both sides indicating he would talk to them separately. The Maoists today conveyed they will extend the ceasefire beyond Friday8212;the current deadline.