Nepal offers to talk to Maoist insurgents .
Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU 1996-08-27
Nepal 's centre-right coalition government has offered to meet the country 's hardline Maoist communists for talks in a bid to end an insurgency in Nepal 's western districts , officials said on Tuesday .
The Maoists oppose multi-party democracy and want to establish a communist state .
But the Nepali government said the insurgents must give up violence before it negotiates with them .
" They ( the insurgents ) should first give up their violent activities , " Home ( Interior ) Minister Khum Bahadur Khadga said .
About 54 people have died in Maoist insurgent activity and in police action against them since February , officials said .
Nepali opposition parties have accused the police of having killed more people than the insurgents .
Some human rights groups have criticised the government 's handling of the situation .
In a speech in parliament on Tuesday , Khadga challenged the Maoist communists to " win the people 's confidence " and win election to parliament .
On Monday , he had offered to talk to leaders of the United People 's Front Nepal ( Bhattarai ) , the Maoist faction which leads the insurgency .
" The government is ready to guarantee security of the Maoist representatives who want to take part in peaceful dialogue , " Khadga said .
A multi-party democracy was set up in Nepal six years ago , after a popular movement by the centrist Nepali Congress party jointly with the Communist United Marxist-Leninist ( UML ) party .
The Nepali Congress leads the three-party coalition government while the UML is the main opposition party .