KATHMANDU, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Nepal's
government has said it cannot fully trust a unilateral three-month truce
announced at the weekend by Maoist rebels.
In a move aimed at gaining the support
of the main political parties opposed to King Gyanendra, who seized power
in February, Maoist chief Prachanda said on Saturday the rebels would maintain
defensive positions during the ceasefire.
"The declaration of a ceasefire for three months has drawn the attention of His Majesty's Government," Information and Communications Minister Tanka Dhakal said in a statement late on Monday.
"The government cannot be quite confident about the ceasefire," he said. "The past experience shows the ceasefire never sustained."
The Maoists broke previous truces in 2001 and 2003 after peace talks with the government collapsed amid a row over the future of the monarchy.
Nepal's main political parties, which have said they would hold talks with the rebels to discuss joint protests against King Gyanendra's assumption of power, have welcomed the rebel announcement.
The king dismissed the land-locked nation's multi-party government in February, saying it had not been able to control the Maoist rebellion, and assumed total power.
More than 12,500 people have died in the Maoist revolt since 1996 and hundreds more have disappeared. The Maoists want to replace the monarchy with a communist republic.