Nepali communists urge Maoists to shun violence

The Nepal Communist Party-United Marxist and Leninist also assured the Maoists it would support their demand for elections to a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution if the rebels helped to restore peace.

"If the Maoists think they can capture Kathmandu and seize the government by terrorism, it would be merely a day dream for them," party general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said at a memorial for a district chief killed by Maoists.

"I appeal to the Maoist leaders to give up the practice of killing individuals innocent people as such acts can never fulfill their political objectives," Nepal said.

"The Maoist rebels should give up their violence and destruction of the country's economic infrastructure and join the main political stream or they will also meet the same fate as that of the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia and the Shining Path Communists of Peru," Nepal said.

His call came as the military said at least 66 Maoist rebels and 10 government troopers were killed in an overnight clash in the bloodiest incident in the Himalayan kingdom in months.

"I appeal to both the government and the Maoists to come to the negotiating table and end the current violence against the innocent people," Nepal said.

"If the Maoists assure us that they would help restore peace and security in the country, our party is ready to support their demand of constituent assembly elections," he said.

Peace talks between the government and the Maoists broke down in 2003 over the rebels' demand for a constituent assembly that would ultimately aim for the establishment of a secular communist republic.

The Maoist rebels have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and more than 10,180 people -- members of the security forces, civilians and rebels -- have been killed in the conflict.

Four-time prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa announced meanwhile that he had left the pro-royalist National Democratic Party and intended to create a new political force with democratic-minded parties.

He said elections proposed for next year by King Gyanendra would be impossible without peace talks with the Maoists.

"It is absurd to hold the elections without holding the peace talks with the Maoists," he said, adding this would be "impractical and far from possibility."

Although the government headed by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is campaigning for the vote, Nepalese civil society, human rights organisations and opposition leaders say polls cannot be held until an agreement is reached with the rebels, who control vast tracts of countryside in the impoverished Himalayan kingdom.