Nepal aims to bring Maoists to talks table

"Our main aim is to bring the Maoist rebels to the peace table to end the conflict in the country," Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari told a news conference.

Adhikari, who is also finance minister, made the statement as he gave more details about the national budget he released Friday which increased defence and security spending by 13 percent but also allocated money to set up a "peace secretariat."

"It is not the time to indulge in conflicts but all the political parties and the general public need to unite to solve the Maoist problem," he said.

The security, peace and rural oriented budget's total planned expenditure was 111.68 billion rupees (1.57 billion dollars) for the 2004-2005 financial year, up nearly 20 percent from the previous year.