Nepal's Maoist rebel chief Prachanda began talks with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala tody in an attempt to iron out differences before holding landmark elections and drafting a new constitution.
The talks in Kathmandu between Mr Koirala, who heads a multi-party, interim administration, and Prachanda was the first known high-level meeting between the rebels and the government since the revolt began 10 years ago.
"The main agenda for the meeting is to discuss early elections for the constituent assembly and solve the political hurdles for this," rebel spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said.
The two leaders, assisted by their negotiators, talked for two hours before leaders of Nepal's seven main political parties joined them.
Prachanda, whose assumed name means Awesome, has led a bloody war against the monarchy in the impoverished Himalayan nation in which more than 13,000 people have been killed.
Speaking to the Reuters news agency in a rare interview in western Nepal yesterday, he said peace talks with the government which started in May were largely back on track after initial troubles.
But differences remained over disarming the rebel army and a Maoist demand for dissolution of the reinstated parliament before elections for a special assembly, he said.
The assembly will draft a new constitution to decide the future of the monarchy. Today, Prachanda flew into Kathmandu in a private helicopter and drove straight to Koirala's high-security official residence in the heart of the capital.