Saturday, November 5 2005 17:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Rejecting allegations of having links with Maoists, Nepal's seven-party alliance agitating against King Gyanendra's direct rule has said it was instead trying to bring the rebels into the democratic fold.

"We don't have any plans to forge an alliance with the Maoist rebels," Nepali Congress central member and former Foreign Minister Ramsharan Mahat said.

"The purpose of all our efforts is to motivate them to come to multi-party democracy," Mahat told sources.

The minister was responding to the US Government's statement issued yesterday warning pro-democracy political parties against any possible alliance with the Maoists waging insurgency for the past ten years that has so far claimed over 12,500 lives.

The US Embassy has warned the political parties against forging any alliance with the guerillas untill they firmly renounce violence, put down their weapons and commit to supporting the democratic process.

This shows the government's concern over the Maoist insurgency, which is natural and they have considered it as a big problem, he said.

Unless Maoists renounce violence and come to the multi-party democracy there is no possibility of having an alliance with them, Mahat said.

What the seven political parties are doing is trying to hold dialogue with them to bring and end to the present crisis? he clarified.

The seven-party alliance has authorised Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala and Nepal Communist Party-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal to intiate dialogue with the Maoists, he said.

Mahat also said, that if Nepal King Gyanendra participates in the forthcoming SAARC Summit being held in Dhaka, it will be clear among the international community that there is authoritarian regime in Nepal.

Even Bhutan King Jigme Singhe Wangchuk has decided to send his Prime Minister to lead the delegation to the summit and he is not taking part in the Dhaka Summit, Mahat said.