Monday, August 7 2006 17:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Maoists in Nepal today (Aug 7, 2006) warned of the peace process with the government being put on the backtrack if the seven-party regime in the country insisted on the rebels laying down their arms.

"If the Government and the parties kept on calling us to lay down weapons without even entering into the preliminary levels of peace talks, it is inevitable that the peace process would get backtracked," the Maoists' number two leader Baburam Bhattarai said addressing a gathering of Nepal's top businessmen and industrialists here.

He, however, said that this does not mean that they would go back to the jungles as in the past.

"We would launch a peaceful agitation in the capital and other urban areas," he said.

Accusing the SPA government of breaching the ceasefire code of conduct, he said, "If the government and the parties breach the peace process and try to preserve the royal army and the King we would detach ourselves from the peace talks and continue our struggle, but peacefully."

Bhattarai's remarks came in the wake of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's statement saying that King should also be given a space in democracy.

"In my opinion, all including the monarch should be given a role in democracy. Each class, institution including the King and the Maoists should be given a space in democracy, so that they did not get frustrated," Koirala said.

The seven-party alliance leaders have asked the Maoists to abandon weapons and show commitment to peaceful politics.